Ninja of a Modern Era
by myswordhandtwitches
Summary: American-born ninja Bella Swan is her clan's best fighter and tactician. But when a battle goes wrong, her mother sends her back to the states to live. But she can't live as a normal girl, and it doesn't help when she meets the inhuman Cullens.
1. Chapter 1

Yes, this is a story about ninja, and even though I'm going to try and be as historically accurate as possible, there will be differences. I'm probably going to throw a little Naruto in here, too.

Anyway, this has been stuck in my head all day, and I had to start writing it directly after school. Hope you guys enjoy it.

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The rages of war surrounded me. The knife in my hand silently cut through the limbs of my enemies, felling them to the ground. With every one I downed, four more showed up around me.

I glanced over my shoulder, keeping one eye on the enemy in front of me. My comrades were in the same position as me, destroying foe after foe. Bodies were strewn across the countryside, blood soaking into the grass.

The opponent brought my attention back to him when a slight pain shot up my arm. I whipped back around to him, grabbing the knife in his hand between my fingers and twisting. The blade fell to the ground, and I drove my own through his neck.

Another down. I stepped back, panting. My side was severely lacking in fully able fighters. I saw one man fighting with blood gushing over his eyes, another with a dislocated shoulder.

"Mom!" I cried out to the field. "We have to retreat!"

Suddenly she was beside me, eyes wild with the kill. "No." She said, simply, swiping out to kill a charge enemy. "We never retreat. You should know that."

"But, Mom!" I shouted over the battle cries. "We can't win today! If we keep going, all our fighters will die!" I surveyed the field one more time.

Our people were strong, but few in numbers. Their people weren't fast, strong, or agile, but they swarmed the battles fields with the numbers of grass blades on the field.

I watched her jaw flex. She knew I was right. I was always right when it came to battle.

"Soldiers!" She shouted over the field, her voice commanding. "Retreat! Live to fight another day!" I could see the pain it caused her to say these words.

The fighting came to a stand still, and I watched solemnly as my people ran back the way we had come. The enemy commander shouted for pursuit, but we had the night on our side. No one could find us in the dark.

My mother and I ran among the trees, hiding in the shadows as enemy soldiers trooped past, frustrated with their failures. I could see my mom hated that I was right about this, but there was no time to talk.

I saw the flash signal, and motioned to my mother. After glancing around, we flew over the grass and into the safety of our cavern.

Torches were lit, leading deeper in the cave. Silently and swiftly, we ran down the damp rock flooring and came to a huge room. I saw all my comrades sitting around the firelights, healers surrounding them and bandaging their wounds.

"M'ladies Bella and Renee." A boy ran up to us, bowing slightly, fists together. "We have a healer designated for you, if you'd step this way."

My mom stood still, glaring at the boy. I elbowed her, and dragged her by the elbow to our healing station. "We just fought through hell, Mom. We need to be checked out." I mumbled to her, authority coating my tone.

She remained silent, but followed without protest. She always knew I was right. We were seated closest to the fire, the warmth washing over my battle-chilled body. I removed my helmet, laying it beside the chair, and shook my hair out.

An elderly female healer came over, and bowed, similar to the boy with her fists together and eyes down. "M'ladies." She mumbled.

I nodded to her, clearing my throat for her to stand straight. "Much appreciated, holy sister." I said, tilting my chin down in a respectful manner.

She began working over my mother first, patching the small cuts on her arms and legs and fighting her to remove her chest guard. Watching this, I sighed, and leaned my head back. My mother was a brilliant fighter, but she was also brilliantly stubborn.

The holy sister moved to me after she was sure my mother's wounds weren't life threatening. I let her work me over, and winced a little when she poured disinfectant into the shoulder wound I'd suffered from lack of focus on the field.

"Tell me, m'lady Bella, if you'd be so kind. Why would the Ponta clan choose to attack today?" The holy sister asked, bandaging my bleeding knees.

"Your guess is as good as mine, sister." I told her, shaking my head, feeling the soreness of battle setting in. "Today was not an opportune time for either tribe to fight. The ground was too soft and we are both still recovering from our previous battle. Perhaps, sister, they simply wanted to see a great bloodshed."

"But, according to the reports of the others, they were the ones who fell to death's hand."

"I don't pretend to know the workings of our enemies' minds." I glanced around, watching my comrades and family groan in pain and anger. "The Ponta's are very blood thirsty clan. They thrive on war and death." I shook my head, picturing the bloody scene again. "Even if that bloodshed is on their side."

"My only joy in this is that the younger ones were not dispatched." She stepped back and nodded to me. "Your wounds are very minor, m'lady. They will be gone by morning."

I nodded my thanks and she left, bowing again. I turned toward my mother.

She was sitting very still, glaring at the flames nearby. Her jaw was tensed and her eyes flashed with the anger she usually saved for battle.

"We could have won, given enough people." She said, not looking at me.

I sighed and leaned forward, resting my arms on my legs. "No, we couldn't have." I kept my tone flat, like someone talking to an unreasonable person. "Not without heavy casualities."

"Our people are willing to die to protect our way of life!" My mother stood up, knocking her chair back, and paced in front of the fire. "We're ninja, Bella! We do what we're told and what's best for the clan."

"I know that, Mom." I shifted my blank stare up to her face. "I've been at this long enough to know that. But we also have a duty to ourselves. What good would it do to have all our fighters die? It would cause grievance and chaos in the remaining members of the clan."

An angry glare was shot at me from my mom. I was used to it. I simply gazed back, trying to etch boredom into my face as well.

"You certainly are an American ninja." She mumbled. "Not caring about the pride of our soldiers."

Anger began to swell inside me, but I quickly shoved it aside. A ninja must never show emotion. "In case you haven't realized, I'm one of those soldiers."

"Exactly!" She shouted, slamming her hands against my arm rests. "How can this not be eating you up inside?"

"Sometimes the wisest thing to do is turn tail, for there will always be another day to fight." I told her, my face still flat.

Her face turned bitter. "You would say something like that."

Now I narrowed my eyes at her, and let a little irritation creep into my tone. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm sending you home." She let go of my chair and began pacing again, her head turned away.

"This is my home." I looked around. Several men and women caught my gaze and smiled lightly at me, waving. I nodded back to them and turned back toward my mother. "I've been raised here."

"And that hasn't saved you." She shook her head and looked at me, some emotion tainting her anger. "You still believe running can save you."

"Running does save us." I stood up and met her eyes. "It makes us more agile, stronger. The term you are looking for is retreating. And retreating did save us. Our people will recover fast and come back with vengeance in their hearts."

"And crushes their spirits." My mother stated, a simplistic tone coming to her.

"Our spirits will recover as fast as our bodies. You do not trust your own people, Mom." I clenched my fists at my sides, and allowed no emotion to come to my face. "You are scared that our people will turn into cowards, but this retreat will rekindle the dying fires in their hearts."

She glared at me for another minute before turning away. "You will depart for the mainland tomorrow morning. You will be staying with your father."

I opened my mouth to protest again, but she turned around and gave me her commander glare. "That is an order."

As she turned away, I cursed silently to myself. I couldn't defy orders.

I stood in the cavern for hours, barely moving. Late into the night hours, everyone departed toward their places of temporary residence deeper into the cave. When they were all gone, I slammed my fist against the chair nearby, shattering the wood, and splintering my hand.

"I'll be back, Mom. You can bet your life on it." I muttered to an empty room, the anger finally taking hold of my body. My limbs began shaking and I could barely keep my murderous thoughts from becoming reality.

I stood there all night, letting my anger simmer down before people began waking up. I would not allow my comrades to see the emotions I kept hidden. They didn't need to see their second in command so out of control. They needed a rock.

Being in a cave, the terms night and day were relative. We woke up when our bodies decided it was time, we slept when we became tired. My mother was the first one up in the morning, usually with me following. But today, I refused to make this easy for her.

"Pack your things." She commanded, handing me a bag. "I will tell your father you need new clothes when you get there."

"I'm not going to pretend like I'm not a ninja!" I shouted at her. "This is ridiculous! I'm not a simple teenage girl who can go to high school. I am an Atarian ninja!"

"You will be anything I tell you to be." My mother sneered at me. "This is the best thing for you, Bella. It is. You have an American mind, not that of which an Atari ninja should have."

For a second, the thought of punching my mother out came to my head. But I quickly shook it off. I wouldn't do that. Finally, I snatched the bag away, and stormed to my residential space. I stuffed my important things in the bag, like the picture of our home city I had had painted years ago.

Touching the painting lightly, I put it on top of my clothing and my other keepsakes. Not that my clothing would do much overseas. Where my father lived, people all dressed weird. Their clothes didn't blend or represent a ceremonious occasion. It was just… there. No meaning, no anything.

I slung the bag over my shoulder, and followed my mother out of the cave, bearing one last glance at my home for the past week. People were beginning to stir and awaken. I quickly hid my face, away from the dishonor of being sent away.

My mother bid me farewell just outside of the cave. "You are to go to the port just outside of Kittou. I have contacted people who will make sure you get on your boat and then your plane on the mainland."

I frowned at her, and set off, refusing to look back at her.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, guys! I really like the way the first chapter came out, and this has been torturing me all throughout school. So I came home and typed it all up for you! Just so you know, I'm blowing off an essay on Frankenstein and Prometheus to put this up today. But it's all good! Enjoy!

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The path was hard and rocky underneath my toed sandals. I knew I should have bought that pair of close-toed shoes in town when I had the chance. Ninja shoes weren't meant for open roads. They were meant for forests and plains we were supposed to hide in, to give us a better grip on the territorial anomalies. Not this.

Glancing around, I could see the signs of life beginning to pop up. I was getting closer to a town. A merchant cried for me to buy something from his traveling store, but I ignored him.

I had no idea how far Kittou was from here. Judging by the smell of the winds it was maybe another half-day's walk. Once the city walls came into my vision, I decided I'd stop for some food.

I arrived in the small out skirted town of Jamola. Personally, I had never been here before, but my mom told about a mission she had gone on based out of the town. The town didn't have much, just a few small businesses and a restaurant based on small forest creatures.

Too hungry to really care if someone I knew saw me in there, I walked in and ordered the first thing I saw on the menu. While I waited for my food, I thought back on why I was sitting here in this town and not fighting like I should be.

My stupid mother just had to be as stubborn as she could. She said I didn't have the true mindset of an Atarian ninja. But I had had teachers back in the Capital that had told me retreating was often a wise decision. And while my mother thought she was doing what was best for them, no one liked the idea of never retreating, and dying instead.

My mom was the one without the Atarian education. She had been raised in America, where I had been born. She went to the high schools there and was educated as a normal person. I had been the one who went to the ninja schools in the Capital. I was one who had followed around the city Elders and asked all sorts of questions. I was the one who had read all the history texts about our people. Not her.

I remembered when my mom used to send me away for a month every other spring to see my dad. Whenever I got there, my dad would try to introduce me to the other kids in his town, but I never really got along with them. They weren't the same as me. They weren't as fast, or strong, or as well trained as I. I just couldn't relate.

When I was little, I used to ask my mom about why she and my dad didn't live together. She had told me that while she had loved my father, she didn't want the same things as him, so she left. She told me that when she was a baby, her parents had fled our homeland and went to the mainland for refuge, and had tried to raise my mom as a normal American girl. I guess we all know how well that turned out.

My mom didn't want the same for me. She knew I could be one the best ninjas ever born, and never know it if I were to stay with my father. But my dad couldn't come here, outsiders were strictly forbidden. Only those with ninja blood could ever step on the land, or even know about it.

So when my mom took me and herself away from the mainland, she had made up a story about living in Phoenix, Arizona, wherever that was. According to the story I was meant to have been living in Phoenix for most of my childhood life. But I really had no idea how to act like I had.

My food finally arrived, and I chewed on it absentmindedly. I was wondering what my dad would say when he saw me at the airport. My dad had never been much for words, but it wasn't like I even _looked_ like I was from Arizona. My mom told me the sun always shone there, and people got out and played around in the light. I was a ninja, an assassin of the night. I didn't play in the sun.

Plus I had more scars than any normal person ought to have. Now, in the Capital, a ninja's abilities were based on how well they recovered from an injury, and the scar that was left behind was a trophy of that.

I left after I was done, and went on with my journey once again. Trees overtook my route, and I took to them instead of the road. Coiling up my muscles on the branch I landed on, I sprung forward, leaping over several branches before repeating. Tree travel was much faster than foot travel.

As I focusing on my springing from tree to tree, I barely heard a small rustle of leaves next to me. I glanced to the side, reaching back into my bag to pull out a knife.

"Whoa, Bella!" I heard from the voice next to me. "Easy, girl. I'd rather not get stabbed, huh?"

The instant I heard him, I knew who it was. I turned to fully face my old friend, Lucky Delmonty. He smiled brightly at me when he caught my eyes.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, still grinning like a moron. "Your mom sent me after you."

I raised my eye brow at him and landed on a steady, thick branch. "Really? Why did she do that?"

"Well, she doesn't think you'd actually do what she told you." Lucky looked away, obviously hating to get between this. "She doesn't trust you."

I rolled my eyes, and shook my head. "Of course she doesn't. All because of some stupid battle where retreat was the best option we had to stay alive."

"Whoa, you convinced your mother to retreat from a battle?" Lucky's eyes shot wide. "That's unheard of. Your mom would never do that."

I looked to him, a disgruntled look in my eyes. "Yeah, I know."

He got my message and changed the subject. "So, I, uh, heard your mom is sending you to stay with your dad."

"Yeah." I muttered, continuing forward, knowing he'd follow.

"How long has been since you saw him last?"

"About five years. I was twelve last time."

"Are you excited? I mean, it's not every day one of us gets to see the mainland!" Lucky said, putting a little more spring into his step.

"Excited to see my dad, not to see the mainland. The people there are so… dysfunctional. Last time I was there, my dad took me to the biggest city near him, and there were buildings as tall as you could possibly imagine. He called them skyscrapers, and people live several stories away from the ground. There are random acts of violence outside of war zones, and crime is high. No body really works together to solve problems."

Lucky's smiled disappeared. "That doesn't sound fun at all."

"It wasn't. And then, there were so many people around, it was hard to tell who was who. Who I should look out for, who I should be kind and help, and where I should go." I shuddered at that memory. I hated that city.

Now Lucky frowned, something he never did. "I don't like the thought of your mom sending you there alone…"

"My dad lives in a small town, not there. From what I remember of it, it's pretty safe, I guess. But boring. No missions, no ninja sanctuary, nothing."

Lucky looked to me, worry etched on his warm face. "Really? No bad people?"

I stopped and smacked him over the head, causing him to lose his balance and fall from the tree. He hit the ground with a thud and groaned.

"Ow!" He yelled, glaring up at me. "What was that for?"

"I can take care of myself, Lucky." I told him, flexing my fingers. "I'm the best ninja of our generation; I can take some disillusioned person from the mainland. You don't have to worry about me and 'bad people'." I rolled my eyes, and hopped down next to him.

He stood and shook the dirt from his hair. "I know that, but still…." He frowned at me. "It's a strange land. You said it yourself. Those people aren't like us. You never know what they're gonna do."

I shrugged and looked up to see the walls of Kittou on the horizon. Lucky jumped up and shouted for joy. Laughing, I started walking to it, pulling Lucky along with me.

"Hey, Bella, you remember when we were rookies and we got in trouble for accidentally ruining Miss Heik's flowerbed?" Lucky babbled on as I dragged him along.

"Yeah, I remember. What about it?"

He laughed, acting like his usual self again. "I was just remembering the look on your face when she beat you over the head with her rolling pin. You looked as if a giant two-headed bear was eating you."

"You know what I would look like if that happened?" I raised my eyebrow at him again.

"No, but I can imagine." He laughed again, staring off into space.

I shook my head at him and turned away. Lucky had always been a goofy kind of guy. Back when we were in school together, he would trip when we were training or running scenarios. In the classroom, he would randomly shout out the last thing the teacher said, and cause the class to lose focus.

Almost groaning, I was hit with the fact I'd have to back to school in the mainland. I had graduated seven years ago, and now I had to go back. With no Lucky to distract everyone.

We arrived in town, shortly after nightbreak. The merchant stands were closing for the night and the shop windows were lighting up. People were sparsely populating the streets, lolling around talking to friends.

"So, Lucky," I started. "Any idea how to get to the port from here?"

He nodded. "Yeah." And then he looked away. "Well, not personally, but my cousin lives here and he works on the port. We can ask him!"

I sighed heavily, but followed him. I really just wanted to leave and get it over with already. Why did this have to be so drawn out?

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Yay! I just got done watching Symbonic Titan with my brother, and finished this up. To every one who favorited and alerted my story, You guys effing ROCK! Heheh, anyway, hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you next time!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey, hey, hey! After I finished the last chapter, I was still feeling awful ninja-y. So I continued writing. And continued procrastinating on my Frankenstein/Prometheus essay due on Monday. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys!

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Sea spray splashed up into my face, causing me to blink the salt out of them. I was finally on the boat, having bid farewell to Lucky and my homeland. Sighing, I leaned against the railing of the ship, listening to the cries of the ship's men about which rudder to use, and sails, and other stuff.

I had received a letter upon entering the port, one that I opened to find it was from my mother, explaining what I was to tell everyone on the mainland. She gave me some general information about what I was supposed to act like and left the rest to me.

The boat ride wasn't that long, only a few hours. Our tiny island wasn't too far off the shore of the North American continent, but it was hidden by a thick layer of fog that most mainland ships were scared to cross though. It did help, though, that Atarian ships were incredible fast. No other navy would stand a chance in a speed race with us. But most of our fighting was done on land, so the missile power was severely lacking.

A fogged over shore came into view, and I felt the boat begin to slow down. A sailor came to me, bowed, and stated, "We're approaching the shore, ma'am. A small plane will pick you up just off the dock."

I nodded my thanks and turned away. I heard him run off to do whatever it was he was supposed to do. Once he was gone, I slumped against the railing, and hung my head. Here I was about to enter a foreign land with no one but my clueless father to help me, and I couldn't even call home.

Stepping off, I followed the captain to a small plane, where the pilot bowed and took me to the airport in Seattle, or whatever it was called. All these names were confusing and made no sense. From there, I was supposed to act like I had just got off a long flight from across the country.

I caught sight of my dad just outside the luggage claim area. He waved over his head, and I walked over to him.

"Bella!" He smiled widely and hugged me tightly to his chest. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here!"

I waited until he let me go to smile lightly at him, struggling with the action. "Hi, Dad." I greeted, feeling awkward at his display of affection.

He grabbed the bag from my hand and led me out through the parking lot. "How was your flight?"

I shrugged, not really committing to details. "Alright. Long." I answered.

Because my dad was a local cop, he drove around a police car just about everywhere. Seeing the vehicle in front of me was odd, seeing as we didn't have cars back home. My dad popped the trunk open and shoved my bags in, then unlocked the doors.

The ride back to his hometown of Forks, Washington was quiet, which I was thankful for. I still needed more time to finish working through the details of my elaborate lie. And get used to actually showing emotion on my face. And not walking as if I thought people were going to attack at any second. And I should probably stop carrying a knife around under my shirt. This would take some time.

The whole ride home rain fell on the small car, pounding against the window. Through the rain-streaked glass, all I saw was green plants, green trees, green rocks. Even the roads were a little green. It never rained this much on the island. We were lucky if rained enough to water the crops outside the Capital.

Just when I was getting a little stir crazy, my dad slowed the car and pulled in front of the familiar, small, two-story house. The rain had slacked off to a light drizzle, and I could see the driveway. What caught my eye was a dull red truck sitting where my father's cruiser usually sat.

"What's the truck for, Dad?" I asked, remembering to put confusion in my voice.

He cleared his throat and muttered, "I got it for you."

What? The truck was mine? I couldn't even drive. I turned back to look at the vehicle. "Really?" I asked, touching the paint. It flaked a little onto my fingers. "You didn't have to."

"I know. But you seemed so upset about coming here before, and I thought a car of your own might help you feel more at home here." He looked away, scratching his head a little.

I looked at him and felt a short wave of sadness wash over me. My poor dad was all alone here in this rainy town, and he was really excited about me coming. Sighing, I followed him into the house. The house was the same as it was from my childhood memories: old pictures hung on the walls, there was a thin layer of dust everywhere, and it was just a little boring.

My room was also the same. I was surprised my dad hadn't moved anything at all. Why would he keep my stuff here when I was never near?

I watched my father set my bags down, and straighten, looking around. "I haven't done anything special to your room. I figured you'd do what you wanted with it." With that he nodded himself out of the room.

I opened the bag my mother had had me pack. On top of the pile rested my black ninja garb. I let my face fall, staring at it for a minute, than took a hanger from the closet and hanging it up. I took out several of my other ninja things: my lock picking kit, a wound wire that functioned as an extra-strength rope, several of my throwing knives, and my medallion that signified me as a full fledged ninja. After gazing at them for a short period of time, I placed them all carefully in the top drawer of the dresser in the corner. Some tiny part of me hoped that I'd use them again some day.

Then I opened the unfamiliar bags that had simply appeared when I got to the airport. Clothes—normal, American clothes—sat, neatly folded. I frowned and hung them up in the closet next to my ninja garb.

When I was pretty much done unpacking, I headed downstairs. My dad was sitting at the table, staring at a box on the table. He looked up when I came down, and smiled.

"Bella! I was just about to call you down for dinner." He motioned for me to sit down across from him. "I ordered pizza, but I didn't know what toppings you liked so I just got plain pepperoni."

I smiled awkwardly at my dad, feeling as if my face ought to crack and shatter across the floor. "Thanks, dad." I muttered, pulling a slice out and chewing on it.

"I already got you enrolled at the high school, so you just have to go and pick up your schedule tomorrow."

I just nodded in response and continued eating. I wasn't used to talking this much with my mom. My dad fell silent too, and after we cleaned up, I went to bed.

Laying there, staring at my unfamiliar ceiling, I thought about tomorrow. A bunch of people I didn't know who didn't know about me. Should be fun.

I got into my truck the next morning, completely clueless as to how to even start the thing, let alone drive it. After searching for something that might do the trick, I remembered how my dad had started his car. The key in the socket and twisted.

I did so, and the engine of the old truck roared to life. The sound was almost deafening. I quickly called back on memories of my dad driving, and pulled out of the driveway. The drive to school was a little complicated, but I finally arrived in the parking lot.

Climbing out, I looked around. The building was a dull brownish color. It wasn't the imposing building that demanded respect like the school back home. It looked more like the village homes grouped together that I'd seen while traveling.

Probably looking like a lost child at a town function, I searched for the main office where my dad said I could pick up my schedule. When I found it, I walked inside, remembering to put just a little confusion onto my face.

"Hello." I said, stepping to the desk with the secretary behind it. "I'm Bella Swan. I'm new and supposed to pick up my schedule."

The secretary nodded and fished my papers out of a stack on the desk. "Here you go, and I hope you have a good first day."

I nodded, and left, staring at the paper. First was English. I began walking toward the building it was supposed to be in, when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

Something in my ninja training sprung to life, and I turned, ready to chop the guy's head off. I was about to shove my fist into his throat when I saw it was just a harmless boy, with wide, fear-stricken eyes.

"Uh…" He swallowed, and I backed off. "I'm Eric. You must be Isabella Swan, the new girl, right?" He seemed to be afraid to make a wrong move. Smart boy.

I nodded. "I prefer to go by Bella." I told him, turning and walking toward my building once again.

He caught up with me, eagerness now on his face. "Do you need any help finding your classes? I can show you."

I didn't turn around to face him. "No, thank you, Eric. I've got it under control."

"Are you sure?" He sounded upset, but he was beginning to annoy me.

"Positive."

"Okay, but if you do, just give me a call, huh?"

I chose not to respond, and quickened my walking pace to hurry away from him. I seriously hoped not everyone here was that annoying toward me.

The classes in the school were all relatively boring. Most of this stuff was taught to us at a much younger age. Trigonometry was used everyday in calculating the distance we'd have to throw weapons or set traps. We used English to mess with opponents' minds and throw them off guard. We had to learn several different languages in order to communicate with others, and for coded messages. History was a very important when we were trying to find out why or how something happened.

So, by lunch time, I was ready to pull my hair out from boredom. Surely this institution was created by some evil tribe of cannibalistic, sadistic maniacs. And the food really wasn't much better. It was soft and soggy, and the smell almost made me sick.

Regardless, I grabbed it and followed a girl from my Spanish class. Jessica, if I recall correctly. She sat down at a table with a few other kids and introduced me. I recognized most of them from other classes, but nodded toward them anyway.

As Jessica and her friends babbled on over lunch, I let my mind wander. I scanned the room, observing all the clicks and stand alones. I guess that was something that was universal. Children naturally bounded together or exiled another.

My eyes caught a group of five in the corner, as far away from the other students as possible. They were incredibly pale and almost statue still. I noticed they all had loaded food trays in front of them, but nothing was eaten. My strange radar began ringing in my head, and I elbowed Jessica for her attention.

"Who are they?" I pointed toward the table mentioned before.

"Oh, that's the Cullen family." She said, shaking her head. "The big one with dark, curly hair is Emmett Cullen, the smaller one across from him with the agonized look on his face is Jasper Hale, his twin sister is next to Emmett, Rosalie, the pretty blond one. Then there's Alice Cullen, the short, weird one. And last, but certainly not least," She whispered the last part to me. "Is Edward Cullen."

I glanced over to her. "What's their story?"

"Well, they're all foster kids. The three Cullens were apparently adopted by Dr. and Mrs. Cullen. The Hale twins were taken in after Mrs. Cullen's sister died. They all just moved here freshman year." Jessica continued. "And they're all together, like romantically involved. Emmett's with Rosalie, and Alice and Jasper are a thing."

"And the Edward boy?" I asked, my curiosity taking over my natural instincts.

"He's not with anyone, but I wouldn't waste my time. Apparently, no one at this school is good enough for him." She sniffed and looked toward her food.

I had kept my eyes trained on the Cullens the entire time Jessica was talking, and when she mentioned no one being good enough, I saw a smile cross the Edward boy's face. Like he'd heard.

After a few more moments of my staring, the boy looked up, meeting my eyes. I almost fell out of my seat with shock when he did. His eyes were dark, darker than anything I had ever seen before. His gaze was intense, like he was upset with me for watching him. Then again, in his position, I probably would have been too.

I looked away, trying to preserve what ninja status I had left in my head. A ninja never watched their prey, and was never caught watching them. And while I wasn't in commission to be the maker of death for the Cullen boy, he had something that was different.

The bell rang, shattering my thoughts, and I groaned as a couple of kids from the table walked with me to Biology. Great, more redundancy in my routine.

I walked in with Mike and Angela, the two kids who offered to walk with me to class, and showed the teacher my papers. He nodded, and sat me down at a table in the far corner. Nodding slightly, I turned to walk toward it.

I stopped in my tracks when my eyes caught sight of Edward Cullen. Blinking rapidly, I fought back my body's urges to jump on him and beat him into submission. I clenched my fists over the straps on my bags, and set my jaw. What was wrong with me? I had never felt the urge to kill like this since that Ponta killed my traveling partner four years ago.

Swallowing tightly, I sat next to him. This only made my instincts flair up more. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and saw his body was tight too. His fists were clenched hard against the table, and he looked as if he were ready to kill me too. His face turned toward me, and I saw his eyes were black.

Suddenly, an image flashed into my head. A pale, sweet smelling person with dark, dark eyes standing over my comrades with death on his lips and bloodlust on his hands. This guy had the same eyes as the man back then. If I could call him a man.

Another picture came to me, but it was fuzzy, like some old T.V. show where the images were grainy. But this one had a less deadly posture about it, and bright, golden eyes.

The muscles in my body flexed, begging me to release the hold on them so they could take care of this guy. I silently refused, and focused on the pictures and what they could possibly mean.

I hadn't even heard a word the teacher had said all period. This was just too bizarre. Black eyes…. It rang some distant bell in my head. I knew it should have been at the front of my mind, but I just couldn't seem to call it forward.

Then I realized, that distant bell, hadn't been too distant. Class had ended, and Edward dashed out of class, almost faster than the average ninja could run.

I had to find out what was going on….

* * *

I hope no one minds too much that the parental roles of Charlie and Renee have kind of switched around. Renee is a ninja and they don't show too much emotion, so I had make Charlie more of the emotional parent. He's still gonna be somewhat unattentive, but in much sweeter way.

Anway, I originally was going to finish this yesterday night, but after standing for three hours in the freezing cold watching the Christmas parade, painting a platform for the city ballet, and trying to think of how to write my English essay, I was beat. I hope it was good any way, and I love all you who read, favorite, comment, show up on my hits list, whatever. I hope to see you, or actually _read_ you, again soon.


	4. Chapter 4

Ninja time! I started this chapter almost right after I wrote my Frankenstein/Prometheus essay! But then I had to stop to write my Frankenstein poem... That ended up being Edward Elric's voic. Heh, manga will surely save my English grade! But, for now, onward!

* * *

Gym was pointless. I mean, why run around in a circle for an hour while hitting a ball around? How would that help these pathetic, limp wimps get anything done?

But I didn't argue. At least not out loud.

The bell rang, much too late in my mind, releasing us. I quickly changed back into my normal clothing and walked into the parking lot. I'd managed to avoid the traffic of people wanting to talk to me.

The drive home was better than before. When I got home, I dashed inside quickly to avoid the rain beginning to fall. I shoved my bag and books onto my bed in my room and went back downstairs. My dad wasn't home yet, but that was to be expected. He was totally infatuated with his small town cop job.

As I searching through the kitchen for something to eat, I found a note taped to the counter.

_Bella,_

_Renee told me you needed some new_

_school clothes, so here's some money to go_

_to Port Angeles with. Be careful,_

_Dad_

Joy. My first shopping in America and I had to go at it solo.

I grabbed my keys again and hopped back into my truck. My father had been kind enough to draw me a map as to how to get to this Port Angeles. It was actually surprising I hadn't gotten lost on the way there.

Port Angeles wasn't nearly as big as Seattle had been the other day. It was more like what I was used to, only with out all the tall buildings and flocks of people about. Everyone seemed to be segregated. All the kids wearing black were in a group; those in bright colors were together.

Sighing, I parked in front of the place where most of the crowds were flowing in and out of. This place wouldn't be anything like my home. All the shopping was combined into one enormous building. That just… wasn't natural.

I walked in, glancing around, not completely sure what I was doing. I'd never gone shopping for this kind of clothing before. I'd only ever been fitted for ninja wear, and the occasional civilian outfit when I was to blend in. I had no earthly idea where to start.

Looking at the t-shirt, jacket, and jeans combo I was wearing, I decided to start by buying things similar to this. They seemed fairly easy to move around in, and not too conspicuous.

I wandered farther into the building, trying to follow the masses. This place was a little scary. It was like a war field with items strewn about. People were pushing and shoving and yelling to get to a store faster than the other.

Frowning, I walked into the least crowded store. Randomly, I picked some clothes out and paid for them. After I left that store, I figured now would be the best time to get some information on how a modern teenager was supposed to act. Rambling around, I watched how the kids treated each other and talked.

This was only making me angrier with my mom. These people didn't know how to act in public. Their language was dull and sloppy. If I had ever talked like that to anyone back home, I'd have two black eyes and a slip to the hospital.

I looked out a window on the second floor, and saw night had fallen. Now was as good a time as ever to leave, and get out here as fast as I could. I made my way toward the exit.

When I was within fifteen yards of the sliding doors, I felt a chill go down my back. I stiffened immediately, and glanced out of my peripheral vision. Nothing right, nothing left. I glanced over my shoulder, acting as if I was looking for someone I knew, not some stalker.

There, in the back of the massive crowd, closest to the eating area, was a tall, shady feeling man. His hair was blond and tied back. His clothes didn't stand out, just a dark jacket and regular pants. The other teenagers walked by without giving him a second glance. He was leaning against the wall, his dark eyes watching me.

I quickly turned away, shaking my head, knowing this guy was watching. Stepping up my pace a little, I walked out into the parking lot, and set my bags in my truck. The chill was still there, so I shut my door, and leaned against the bed of the truck, staring at the door.

The man walked out, glancing around and tilting his head against the wind. His eyes caught mine, and I smirked. His face twisted in confusion, and I turned my back, balancing my weight on my heels and propelling myself onto the top of my truck.

I leaped forward, running across another car's roof, and heard the soft crunch of another pair of feet hit metal. Not even needing to glance back, I jumped to another car, picking up my pace.

Ninjas are fast. And when I say fast, I don't mean, just able to outrun a track star. We could, given the right circumstances, outrun a cougar in pursuit. Ninjas had long ago mastered the art of controlling adrenaline. We could exert it anytime we wanted, making ourselves as fast and as strong as we needed. But we built our bodies up to the best they could, so we didn't have to.

And, as I'm sure I've said before, I'm the best.

The clacking of feet on the metal followed me wherever I landed. I glanced around at my surrounding, looking for anything I could use for an escape. I landed in an illuminated spot and paused momentarily, desperate. I cursed in my head. Why did people have to make things so open to where you couldn't hide easily? Honestly.

Then I caught sight of the wall. Glancing behind me again, I saw the person still hot on my trail. My muscles coiled as they decided before my brain. I was scaling this wall.

I pushed off my toes, swinging forward, and digging my fingers into the hard concrete. Now is probably a good time to mention that ninjas also have suction-like appendages. We can practically cling to anything, hang on anything, and jump from wall to wall, without so much as getting a paper cut.

I threw myself up again, grabbing the wall again, and again. Using my side views again, I saw the stalker trying the same thing, but not succeeding. Now that I was looking at him in the light, I could see that he was incredible pale, almost paper-white skinned.

Heaving myself over the edge of the roof, I glanced back down. He wasn't there anymore. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, focusing on the sounds around me. There was a small break in the air next to me. My eyes flew open, and I flipped out a kick that would shatter any normal man's ribs like glass.

I heard an exclamation of air leaving lungs, and immediately dropped into a fighting pose. Senses on high alert, I heard the guy behind me again, air rushing around a rock hard object coming toward me. I ducked down quickly and twisted my body to face him. Balling my fist, I shot my arm forward, my body following.

A loud _crash_ resounded from the opposite edging, and I took a moment to survey. The man was laying, sprawled out across the heating ducts, staring at me with wide eyes. Even though I'd just cleared his chest of air, he wasn't breathing heavy at all. His face was perfectly intact from where I punched him, no sign of bruising at all.

What in the world?

I didn't have time to contemplate at all as he rushed back on me. His fist came hurtling toward me, and instinct bent my back and away. The other hand came toward me again, so I completely leaned back, touching my hands to the roof, and flipping over.

Now there was some distance between us. A low rumbling sound filled my ears. A growl? Was he growling? No one growled in a fight. At least no one I knew.

He quickly closed the distance, almost moving too fast for me to see. I adjusted my body to face him sideways, dodging all the wild blows he was throwing. This guy was fast and strong, no doubt, but he was blind with rage.

One swiftly dealt punch to his throat had him gasping lightly, not completely out, and another to his stomach brought him to his knees. I shot the flat of my foot out, catching him across the face and sent him flying. He hit the edging again, and I rushed him, grabbing his jacket collar, and threw him over the edge.

I watched as he hit the ground, a small crack coming across his face where I'd hit him with my foot. He glared up at me, and I saw he was being surround by two more people.

"You wait, Isabella Swan. I will kill you. I will find you, and you will fall to my hand." He muttered, barely loud enough for a normal human to hear with their ear pressed to his mouth.

I let a smirk cross my face and folded my arms. "Come, then. Let us fight to the death. We ninja are a tough breed to kill." I settled my voice in a steady, calm, almost hypnotic tone. "You will die trying to lay a hand on me."

And I turned away. I leaped over the edge I'd crawled over, and hit the ground without a sound. My legs bent, absorbing the shock, and I shook my head.

I was seriously beginning to miss home.

* * *

Alright! I got to finish this right after school. Er, right after I went out and bought the new Vampire Academy book. I'm so excited and sad it's ending! BooO!

Anyway, I am in a writing predicament. I can't decide on how I want Bella to be put in danger at school. I've thought a little about Tyler's van, and Edward trying to save her, but finding she doesn't need it. But I don't like the thought of following so many others and the book. What do you think? I'm open to most ideas.

KK, well, that's all... I think. Oh yeah, there was something else... Nope, forgot. Carry on with your lives. Hehe


	5. Chapter 5

Hehe, procrastination is so much fun. It's so much more productive than actually doing your homework! No, actually, it's not, but it's a lot more fun.

* * *

I sat in my truck, the road flying under the wheels and my windows down. I needed the chill of the stormy air in order to calm down. This place was seriously messed up. Weird people attacking random girls? Weird people then threatening said girls and not dying when shoved off a five story building? Messed up, I tell you. Messed up.

My mind wandered back to the fight. That first punch I dealt should have knocked him out of consciousness. It should have dented his skill and deformed his face. He should have had a concussion. He should _not_ have gotten back up and come with vengeance.

I didn't understand. This was the most perplexing thing I'd ever encountered. Sure the Pontas were a tough breed to take out, but they were totally soft compared to that guy. Flexing my fingers, I felt the soreness from hitting his face. It was like a rock. And I thought my head was hard.

I could see where a faint shadow was forming over my knuckles. That'd be a tough one to explain to my dad. I could always say that I had simply tripped. And randomly, completely by chance, hit my hand. Yeah. That'd work really well.

Pulling into the driveway of my new house, I saw my dad's car was already parked there. Slowly, I got out, grabbed my bags, and went inside.

My dad was sitting at the kitchen table, a plate of food in front of him. He looked up when he heard the door slam and smiled brightly at me. I forced a smile back, hoping my face didn't crack too badly.

"How'd your shopping trip go, Bells?" My dad asked, motioning for me to sit with him.

"Alright, I guess." I lied smoothly. It was anything but 'alright'. I'd have to write a note to myself to warn me about not going ever again.

He nodded. "I made dinner while you were out." He pointed to the burnt flake of something on his plate. "But it's probably not very edible."

Oh, he had no idea what was edible and what wasn't. I shrugged and grabbed a plate too. After my little skirmish, I was starving. Ninjas usually burned more energy by just breathing than a normal person would by running three miles. The ratio is just a little weird.

We ate in silence, which I found comfortable. Afterwards, I dismissed myself to my room and lay on my bed.

The plain texture of my ceiling made for images to play across it easily. My 'events' earlier came back to me, and I saw the guy's face on the rough surface. Surprisingly, the images I got from sitting next to Edward Cullen flashed into my mind too.

The dark, clear picture of the red-eyed creature over my comrades rang clearest. Clearly, the guy had a death wish if he was coming after me. I didn't exactly keep my prowess a secret from the knowledgeable world. Even a bloodthirsty tribe like the Pontas knew better than to go one-on-one with me.

_But what did it mean?_

That was the real question, wasn't it? I turned over on my sheets and looked toward my window. Rain was streaking down now. The weather was another bizarre thing about this place. Most of the time, I had found rain a soothing sound to fall asleep too. But having heard it almost nonstop while I'd been here was making it annoying.

While focusing on these thoughts, my mind was slowly drifting in and out of a conscious state. Soon, before I could stop it, I was completely under.

A blaring noise woke me up today, and I covered my ears and turned over. What _was _that? I flung my hand out toward the sound, and hit a small object that fell to the floor. I peered over the edge of my bed to see it was just a clock. An annoying clock.

I slammed my fist on top of it, silencing the noise maker. Note to self: unplug clock at night.

Looking around, I remembered where I was. Not home. I yawned lightly and stood up, shaking the sleep off. School. Oh joy.

The daily routine isn't really worth mentioning. I'm sure most normal people go through it enough to know it stands pretty standard. Soon, I was out in my truck, all ready for the day.

As I drove, my mind wandered again. That Edward kid came up again. His weird behavior wasn't normal, but then, neither was my urge to shred his skin to ribbons. Normally, I was in control of the bloodlust most ninjas had to struggle with. I had practiced all my life with it. That undeniable urge to destroy anything and everything just because you_ could_.

I pulled into a spot in the lot, and sat still. Maybe that was this kid's problem too. Maybe he had a ninja background and was feeling threatened by my presence. I had heard that some deserters and outcasts had children with normal people, and those ninja traits were dominant in the kids.

However, I didn't have anymore time to dwell on some kid I just so happened to sit next to in Biology. The bell had just finished ringing, and people around me were scrabbling to get to class. I hopped out of the car and followed them.

To be honest, public school students of America, I admire you. For having to go through this monotonous, tedious, dreary, mind-numbing torture _every day_ of your young life. I had only been going for two days, and I already couldn't wait to get out. I followed the natural flow of the schedules, and always made sure I sat at the back of the room.

People were still surprised by me. They all wanted to talk to me, to get to _know_ me. As if that could happen. That Jessica girl was still over exuberant while talking to me. She made me eat lunch with her group again, as much as I just wanted to sit in the corner and eat the disgusting cafeteria food. Obviously, I needed something to get these people to realize I wasn't interesting in being like them.

My eyes naturally scanned the room, observing even the tiniest details. Like the fact that the floors had been poorly cleaned last night.

My gaze fell back onto the Cullens, just as yesterday. The five siblings were sitting there, picking at their food, not talking. I noticed all of them had the chalky white skin I'd seen yesterday.

All of a sudden, one of their mouths started moving. It was so rapid, I couldn't read it. I caught one word, though, because I had seen it spoken so many times. My name. They were talking about me. _What_ about me? The ninja instinct in me was to spy on them, to tone out the rest of the place and listen. But I couldn't do that with so many normal people around. Someone would surely notice that I wasn't moving, talking, or even blinking. I'd barely be breathing.

As I was fighting instinct against logic, I saw Edward's face turn up to me again. Damn. I'd been caught observing again! I had to start being more careful.

His eyes were filled with something close to anger, but had bit of self-hatred in them. That didn't make any sense. I cleared my mind, and made sure my face would give none of my emotions away.

Confusion took over his face, as I narrowed my eyes at him, and turned away, picking up my tray. This was frustrating. I tossed the tray away and went to sit in an empty classroom while I waited for the bell to ring.

Those Cullens…. Just their mere sitting in the same room as me brought back suppressed emotions. They had to be an unnatural being of some kind. My mind quickly shifted through all the text I had read about beings of all shapes and sizes. Nothing about pale, mysterious people that made you want to rip their hearts out and boil it.

The screeching of the bell tore through my head again, and I sighed. Enough thinking about it for now, I told myself, and settled on a much less infuriating topic.

That same chill I had felt last night came over me again. I looked up to Edward approaching me. He sat next to me and looked at me. The murderous feelings were coming back, and I flexed my sore fingers, trying to feed off the pain.

"Hello." His smooth voice came to me. "I'm Edward Cullen."

Yeah, idiot, I thought. I know that. I looked at him, masking my irritation. "Hello, Edward." I answered, putting a tone of formality into my voice. "I'm Bella Swan. It's nice to meet you."

Now that I got to look at him closely, I saw his eyes were different today. They weren't the pitch black I remembered. They were a bright honey golden color, and his skin seemed just a little bit less chalky. Odd.

He looked like he was going to continue talking, but the teacher walked in, silencing all of us. I tuned out the rest of what he was going to say, and decided now was a good time to work on focusing my senses. Not that I wasn't already an expert, but there really wasn't anything better to do.

I felt one of my ears twitch as I narrowed my mind to hearing. The droning of the teacher got louder, but I pushed my mind past it. I tried to pull my hearing from the room and pull it toward the surrounding forests.

The classroom noise still rang in my head, but it was more background noise than anything. Narrowing my thoughts, I tried to cut out as much of it as possible. I caught a hint of rustling branches and leaves, and fought to keep the smile off my face. It was harder to do this inside a building, but not completely impossible.

I was just about to shove it out even farther, when a loud voice interrupted me. I blinked once, and turned toward it. Edward's face was a mixture of confusion and frustration, as he stared at me.

"We're supposed to do this lab." He said, motioning to the microscope. "Didn't you hear the teacher?"

I shrugged. I'd heard him, I just didn't care. I took the microscope and shoved the slide next to it in.

"It's over the cell cycles, so we're suppose—"

"Prophase, Anaphase, Metaphase," I ticked the slides off on my fingers and wrote them all down. "We're done."

He stared at me. "You didn't even look at them all."

"Yeah I did. While you were rambling." I sat back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. "And I had heard the teacher, but I just didn't care."

His face grew uneasy. He was clearly confused by all this. "How did you do it so fast?" Edward asked me, taking the microscope to look over them.

"Easy. After a while, you get to recognize these things on a glance." I thought back on to a mission I'd had about a year ago. Me, Lucky, and the rest of our squad had to figure out how these plants reproduction cycles could be restored, and we had to identify the stages of cell growth. And several times before, we had to do that for various reasons.

"After a while of what?" He asked, leaning forward slightly.

Opps. I didn't let my face betray the bored tone I was using. Breathing slower, I flattened my eyebrows and shrugged, nonchalant. "Well, my mom made me take several Biology courses back in Arizona," I lied, my face was completely smooth.

Blinking, he frowned. "So many times that you can just glance at them and know?"

Shrugging again, I said, "Sure, why not?" I had to think quickly with this guy. He wasn't going for my usual 'oh, I can do this because I say so' act. He was too perceptive. Then I had it. "I have a photographic memory, anyway. So I naturally remember what they look like."

He didn't seem to completely believe me. His eyes were well guarded, but not entirely. I could tell he was wrestling with himself at the moment, and totally thrown off by me.

The images from yesterday flashed through my head again, and I looked away from him, trying to shake them away. What was with that? These images had to mean something. I just didn't have any clue what.

The bell rang, snapping my thoughts away. I stood, gathering my things and turned to Edward. "Well, it was a pleasure working with you, Edward. I'll see you tomorrow." I nodded, and walked out.

Just before I left, I heard him mutter, probably not meant for me to hear, "The pleasure was all mine."

I fought back a smile, and shook my head.

* * *

Yay! Another done! I tried to set the stage for Edward and Bella's relationship. Any more insight into ninja awesomeness. More Epic Ninja Stuff will be along soon! But, I'm not sure I'll be able to update next week. Semester finals are coming! And I have to read like four books for English. Oh the joys. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and tune in next time!


	6. Chapter 6

So, I finished Last Sacrifice last night. It was pretty epic. But then I got bored after, cuz I had nothing else to do, and we all know that homework is out of the question, so I started this chapter. Here we go!

* * *

I watched the stars move across the sky. Night was passing slower than usual tonight. Maybe it was because I had given up sleep for the night. Or maybe it was because I was actually aware of time.

Nightmares were plaguing me tonight. Once I settled in, after finishing the paperwork the school assigned me, and closed my eyes, images of the war I'd been forced out of came to me. It had gotten to the point where sleep was pointless. So I came outside for some fresh air.

Luckily for me, it wasn't raining tonight. The air still carried the moisture, and the clouds were rolling by, but occasionally, they had breaks in them and I could see the stars. The sky was very similar to the one you could see back in Capital.

I sighed deeply to myself. Homesickness had never really been a problem for me. I was away from home all the time. But the difference between then and now was I couldn't go back. My mom had ordered me to stay here.

I'd been here for a week already. I'd fallen into the basic routine at school. Over the week, I made a few friends. Not that anyone back home would call them friends. A friend was someone who knew more about you than someone else. These people couldn't know me. Angela, one of them, seemed pretty accepting of anyone and anything, as long as they were kind back. And she wasn't too nosey or noisy, when I liked. A couple of boys, not quite considered in the friend status, were fawning over me. It was a little annoying, but I was learning to ignore it.

And then there was Mr. Edward Cullen, the mystery that was my lab partner. He would talk to me one day, and completely ignore me the next with his clenched fist and angry eyes. The more I sat next to him in Biology, the more I thought this guy could be like me. He was an outcast, that much was obvious, but my earlier theory of him having ninja blood was strengthening.

My mind was getting restless thinking about him. Again. Shaking my head fiercely, I stood up and jumped down from the tree, landing silently on the grass. I decided I should keep in tip-top ninja shape while here. Might as well, right?

After a few hours of pounding my fists and feet into the trunk of several strong trees, I noticed the sky beginning to lighten. It was Monday. The first Monday on the mainland. My first Monday as a 'normal' person. Swell.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I felt a little uneasy, and looked around. Then I caught was making me uneasy. Edward was standing with his sister—I think her name was Alice—against a pillar in front of where I had parked. They looked to be in a heated discussion, and Alice was angry with him.

I ignored it, decided my mind had had enough pondering the workings of Edward Cullen's mind for the day. That why when I felt a tap on my shoulder, I was surprised. The tap came from a cold hand, one that seemed as if it had been trapped in the freezer all night.

I turned, expecting one my 'friends' trying to get my attention. But instead it was Edward and his sister.

"Hello, Bella!" His sister greeted, smiling widely at me. I fought the confusion to stay off my face. "I'm Edward's sister, Alice."

"Um, hello, Alice." I nodded to her. When she stuck her hand out to me, I just stared at it.

She seemed a little distraught with me and moved her hand in front of my face. "Aren't you going to shake?"

"Shake what?" I looked around, wondering what in the world she was talking about.

"My hand, silly." She smiled brightly again. "Don't you know how to greet a new person?"

Shaking her hand? What? Whenever I had greeted anyone back home, a simple nod had been it as far as physical recognition. But shaking? Never.

She picked up my left hand and put it into hers. Instinct made me grip her wrist and, if it were possible, she grinned wider.

"There you go." She bounced, releasing my hand. "Like that."

I stared at her. She was odd person, that was for sure. I glanced up to Edward behind her. He had an exasperated look on his face; as if he really didn't want me and Alice anywhere near each other.

She said goodbye, and leapt off toward a classroom, leaving me gawking at what just happened. Edward came over beside me.

"Sorry about her." He muttered, in his unmistakable, familiar voice. "I tried to stop her."

"Stop her from what?" I asked, peering at him from the corner of my eye. "Talking to me?"

He didn't answer, and I took that as a yes. He stood there, rocking on his heels and glancing everywhere but me.

I almost shook my head and laughed, but stopped myself. "Anything else, Edward? Because, if not, I have classes to get too."

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it. "No. I'll see you in Biology." He mumbled and turned away.

I suppressed a groan and walked the opposite way to my first class of the day. Another tedious seven hours was in my future. I sat in my desks all morning, staring forward, but ignoring the words of my teachers.

Finally, lunch came, and I walked slowly into the lunch room, hoping to avoid Jessica dragging me to a table with her friends. Most of them were all right, I guess, but I just didn't want to eat with them.

I was lucky and evaded her, almost sprinting to get to the corner table that was never occupied. Sitting down, I began to pick through the edible parts of my food.

"Excuse me, Bella." That same, irritatingly familiar voice floated toward me. I looked up, ready to snap at him for interrupting my lunch just so he could be bizarre again. He smiled lightly when he met my eyes and motioned to the seat in front of me, "Is this seat taken?"

I shook my head. He sat down with his tray, and smiled a little more at me. "I hope you don't mind me eating with you today."

"Oh, I mind," I said, placing my food back on the Styrofoam plate. "I'm just too kind to say anything."

That made him chuckle a little. He was still tense, as if being around me was like being around a mass murder with a knife to his neck. I stayed quiet after that, eating my food, and forcing myself not to watch him. He picked at his food, but never put a crumb to his mouth.

"You know, Edward," I started, pointing at his tray, "If you're not going to eat, why get food?"

He looked up to me. "What?"

"You always get a tray full of food, but never eat any of it. What's the deal?"

"I'm just never hungry." He answered simply. "And it's not like you eat much either."

I scowled at the food he was pointing too, making sure to scrunch my face up in disgust to get my point across. "I eat some of it, but it's so inedible that it's completely unappealing."

He stared at me and didn't say anything. Wiping the scowl from my face, I looked at his. His eyes were guarded but his face seemed open.

I shook my head, and turned back to my food.

"What?" He asked, finally blinking.

"You." I took a bite. "You're a very confusing person."

He tilted his head a little, and his mouth turned down. "You're confusing too, you know."

I shrugged. "I make a living off of it, though." I tried to put a mysterious air about my voice, and make him even more confused. He just stared again. "Anyway, I can't seem to figure you out.

"Maybe, you shouldn't try." He muttered, not quite meeting my eyes.

I raised my eyebrow at that. "And why, Edward, would I ever not want to try?"

"What if I don't meet your expectations?" He asked earnestly.

I shrugged. "When you do what I do," I mumbled, realizing I was giving away more information than I was supposed to, "You learn not to expect anything from people. You just have to roll with the punches, so to say."

"Even when that person is the one trying to 'punch' you?" He put air quotes around 'punch', and frowned deeply.

"Especially then." I sat back, and folded my arms. "You never know what kind of person you're up against. You can't expect anything, and yet, you have to anticipate everything."

"That is a really cryptic answer, you know." He leaned forward over the table.

I let a little amusement creep into my face. "I told you. I make a living off of keeping people confused."

A small smile crept over his face, and suddenly, my chest felt a little warm. I shook off whatever human emotion was trying to get the better of me, and turned away from him. Something was off about Edward. Why would I reveal so much to him? I mean, I know he had no chance of understanding any of it. My people had been thought to be a myth or completely eradicated for centuries on the mainlands. We were things of movies and books, not reality.

But, all the more reason to keep ourselves a secret. If the mainlanders caught wind of us, we would be sought out and either war would break out, or we'd be worshiped. We weren't people who believed we needed to be treated either way. I mean, a war with another clan on our land was fine. But against people who wielded guns and bombs almost casually? We sort of thought of it as cheating.

So why in the world was I hinting to Edward? I didn't want him to know about me. I really didn't want to know about him. It made me want to smack my head.

Then, I had a thought. Maybe, if I revealed just enough, not enough to get either of us in trouble, he could end up being an outlet for the loneliness and homesickness I was feeling. Maybe he would be my friend.

Maybe he could understand.

I almost smiled as the two us walked to class. Yes. I decided. I would try to be Edward's friend.

Somehow, I thought maybe, just maybe, staying here wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

Heh, I got a taste of being a ninja today. I was working backstage for my sister's ballet school's preformance of the Nutcracker, and I was decked in all black. I was standing in front of one the curtains, and one girl actually mistook me for the curtain and tried to shove me aside. I thougt it was pretty epic. We stage workers are modern day ninja! But afterward, I was so stuck on Nutcracker music! LOL, TSO here I come!

Anyway! I hope you enjoyed this next installment of Ninja of a Moderen Era, and tune in next time! Or I'll have my people find you! LOL, I'm joking of course.

Or am I?


	7. Chapter 7

YEah! Another chapter! I was watching Ninja Warrior all morning today. Got me in the ninja mood. Anyway, I'd like give a big shout-out and thank you to BerryEbilBunny for giving me the idea for the later part of this chapter. You rock!

* * *

"So…" I cleared my throat, and looked to Edward walking next to me. "Does this mean we're friends?"

Startled, he turned around to look at me. "What?"

"You know, friends, buddies, accomplices."

"Why do you ask?" He stopped walking, and I stood in front of him.

"Well, you came to eat lunch with me earlier." I raised my eyebrows, and looked down, a little startled with myself. "Isn't that what… friends do?"

He blinked and looked around. "I guess so." He muttered. "I suppose we could be friends." He scratched the back of his head, still not looking at me. "I mean, only if you want to be."

"Of course. Why, uh, why else would I ask?" Awkwardness took over my body language. Asking someone to be your friend wasn't exactly easy. Maybe this was why I'd never had many friends back home.

I caught a hint of a smile on his face. "I guess you're right."

I nodded to him, smirking a little. "Always am. But we're going to be late for class if we stand here any longer."

We finished our journey to the classroom and took our seats as lab partners. Today was boring, another lecture. As per usual. I missed the teaching ways of Academy back home.

I sighed heavily, staring down at my blank sheet of paper.

"Something wrong?" Edward whispered to me, not taking his eyes off the screen.

I looked to him and blinked. "Huh?"

He smiled, his mouth lying crooked on his face. That familiar warmth came to me again. "Is that gonna be a thing with us?" He chuckled softly. "Anyway, since we're friends now, it's customary for one to ask the other if they're okay when they look troubled."

Oh. I shrugged visibly, and frowned a little. "I'm alright, I guess. Just a little homesick."

"Not much sun here, huh?"

"What's sun got to do with it?" I asked, completely confused with his turn of conversation.

"Well, Arizona is a sunny place. Washington isn't. You must be missing it."

Right. "Eh, I just miss the way things were over there. Not necessarily the weather."

"Things can't be that different." He muttered, finally turning to look at me.

I sighed again, and slumped back into my chair. "You have no idea."

A worried look came to his eyes. "Anything I can do to help?"

I looked at him, almost letting a smile come to my face. "No, I think I'll be fine. It's just this lecture is boring me, and my mind is wandering."

He looked back away, and nodded. "I can understand that. These teachers barely know their stuff."

"Exactly!" I shook my head, smiling slightly. "I could do all of this, and more, in my sleep."

His smile was still bright on his face, and I noticed today his hands weren't fisted and he wasn't as stiff. We really were becoming friends. But I really knew nothing about him. And I was nervous to ask.

"So, Bella, since we're friends, can I know some things about you?"

Well, I didn't have to ask anymore. "Like what?"

"What's your favorite color?"

Good question. "I'd have to say, maybe a forest or army green." The color of our garb when we were in the woods or on the high grass plains.

"Favorite music?"

"Um…." We didn't have a lot of music back home. Just festival music. I made my best guess at what it would be called. "Classical, I think."

"You think? How can you not be sure?"

I shrugged. "Next question."

"Favorite activity?"

Jumping around in trees after dark and smashing skulls of enemies together. But that might scare him. "I like to run." There, not a lie. But not the truth either. Perfect.

He smiled. "Me too."

"Really?" I raised my eyebrow at him. "How fast can you run?"

He laughed, almost bringing the teacher's attention to us. "Faster than you can imagine."

"Oh, I doubt that." I smirked. "No one is faster than I."

"I beg to differ."

"Beg all you want. The only way to settle is race."

His shoulders shook with the laughter he was trying to contain. "Sure." He muttered, his voice shaky from hysteria.

The bell decided that it wanted to ruin my friend-making moment and rang loudly. Sighing, I stood, Edward following shortly after.

"So," He started, a smile settling over his face. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded. "Tomorrow," I said and left the room.

"So, you making any friends at school?" Charlie asked, munching on a piece of meat.

I sat at dinner with him, chewing my own food. As usual, I was starving. When I had ordered twice of what a normal teenage girl should eat, both the waitress and my dad bugged their eyes at me. I just shrugged, mumbled something about lunch, and looked away.

"I think so." I told him.

My mind flashed to Edward. Again. Me and him talking and how nice it felt to talk to _someone_. And he didn't seem to care that I was a bit off. I knew he had to know I wasn't exactly a social butterfly. I almost smiled.

"Who?" my dad asked again.

"There a couple. Angela Webber is really nice. And, uh, Edward Cullen." I muttered, staring down at my now empty plate.

I could almost swear to hearing my dad's jaw in the floor. "One of the Cullens?"

Was that not obvious? I thought to myself. "Yeah. He's a nice guy. Do you have an issue with him?" I asked, thinking back to the way the father's back home would practically knock Lucky out for even trying to be friends with their daughters.

"No, the Cullens are perfect citizens." My dad said. "Dr. Cullen is the best surgeon Forks ever had, and there's not a spot on the kids' records. Not one ounce of trouble from them." But then he shook his head. "But since their new in town, people like to talk about them. And they like to keep to themselves a lot."

I blinked once at him, almost raising an eyebrow. "I've noticed they don't talk a lot to the other kids."

He smiled at me then. "Well, I'm glad you're making Edward your friend. Those Cullens could use an outside social resource."

Me? A social resource. Yeah, right. I just nodded, and said that we should go, if we were done with dinner.

That night, I was out on the tree again, my eyes closed, listening to the sounds of the storm rolling in. I should have been asleep, seeing as I didn't last night. But I didn't want to.

A small gust of wind brushed over me, rustling the leaves on my tree. I smiled against it, noting how wind felt the same wherever you happened to be. For a moment, I let myself believe I was back home, sitting in the tree in my front yard.

The wind calmed my breathing, and I felt myself fading in and out of consciousness. I really was tired, though, I'd never admit it to anyone else. The smile stayed on my face as I let my head rest on the tree, and fell asleep.

I had odd dreams that night. Dreams that, like most things, I would never speak aloud..

One dream, I was sitting in the forest, listening to the soft humming of a song I didn't recognize coming from a voice I knew well, but couldn't find. The other, I was being chased, and nothing I seemed to do would get the pursuer away from me.

And finally, the one I woke up with in my mind. Edward was sitting with me in the forest, smiling brightly at me. I was smiling back at him. That was the weirdest part. I never, ever truly smiled at _anyone_. Not even my close friends.

I opened my eyes to see the green leaves all around me. A dull, clouded moonlight was filling the sky. Yawning, I sat up, and climbed back through my window. Looking at the alarm clock, I saw I still had four hours left to sleep before I to go to school. I laid down, and took advantage of that.

I stood in the parking lot, not quite sure what to do. Everyone around me was shouting and staring at a fight in the yard. Back home, whenever one of the novice ninjas would get into a fight, they were scolded heavily, and ignored for weeks by their classmates. Here, they seemed to be cheering them on.

Soon a teacher came running by, and broke up the fight, dragging both boys toward the office. Another came and shouted for us all to get to class. I shrugged, and went, not really caring.

"So, Bella, why didn't you sit with us yesterday?" Jessica's annoying voice penetrated my deep thoughts.

"I didn't want to." I answered simply, not turning around to look at her.

"What?" Lauren chimed in.

Was she deaf? "I said that I didn't want to."

Lauren scoffed. "So, since you're from big town Arizona, you think us small town people aren't good enough for you?"

I blinked. "I never said that."

Jessica came in again. "You didn't have to. We can all tell."

People were starting to look our way, and I tried to shrink back into the background again. "What in the world are you talking about?" I asked, completely confused.

The bell rang, and I almost dashed outside. Sadly, as I was trying to make an escape, a surge of people came and cut me off, allowing Jessica and Lauren to catch up.

"Say it, Swan." Lauren spat at me. "You think you're better than us."

I stared at her, unblinking. What in the world was wrong with these two?

Jessica laughed. "To think, you actually think Edward Cullen wants to be your friend." She elbowed Lauren.

I narrowed my eyes a fraction, a tiny drop of anger falling in me. "Why wouldn't he?"

"Hello?" Lauren bobbed her head. "Why would he? Obviously, he just feels sorry for your pathetic loserdom."

"Is that even a word?" It was all I could do to keep from visibly clenching my fists.

"Maybe you should read a dictionary," Jessica raised her voice, coming toward me. "You think you're so smart, but you're just a faker."

Faker? This time, I did clench my fists, my nails rubbing against my palms. "Shows what you know." I almost growled at her.

"Aw, look at that, Lauren!" Jessica shouted. "Little Bella is getting all angry at us."

Anger flooded through me now. My usual emotional control was fading fast.

"I bet she couldn't break a twig." Lauren shouted with her. "She'll probably just run away."

That hit it. Running away was already a sore subject. My lips curled back, and I flexed the muscles in my arms, ready to not only break a twig, but her face too.

"Shut up." I growled, narrowing my eyes fully.

Don't hit them, don't hit them, some sane part of me chanted. Another, much more dominant part shouted for me to pick them up and beat them against a tree. I realized that my body had begun to shake with the anger I was holding back.

"Are you gonna make us?" Lauren said, pushing her face close to mine.

"Man, you really are pathetic," Jessica laughed loudly behind Lauren. "Maybe we need to call your buddy, Edward, into help you. If he even cares enough, that is."

I snapped. My fist flew forward, burrowing itself into Lauren's cheek, and sending her flying. "I told you to shut up!" I yelled, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt. I slammed her back against a locker, and heard the air rush from her lungs. That made a evil smile come to my face. That insane, angry part of me took pride in the fear in her eyes. "Edward is too my friend!"

Jessica broke into a fit behind me. "Yeah, right."

I threw Lauren down, and turned to Jessica. I was all ready to lunge at her and crack her skull against the floor tiles.

"Hey, Jessica." I heard a familiar, almost comforting voice beside me. "Maybe you need to mind your own business." Edward came up into my narrowed line of sight. "But, just so you know, Bella is, in fact, my friend."

Jessica stood, dumbfounded.

"And your goading her just proves how little of a person you are and how prone to jealousy."

Jessica's eyes widened. Edward smirked in front of me. I felt a little anger slip away, seeing him defending me like that. I wanted Edward to continue insulting Jessica back, but he turned away from her, grabbing my arm, and began to pull me away. Before we were out of earshot, however, he turned back and grinned evilly.

"By the way, nobody at this school would ever date you." I heard her gasp loudly. I was going to turn around and look at her, but Edward continued pulling me away.

He dragged me on and on, away from where I'd almost completely lost it on a couple of innocent students. Once we were in the parking lot by my truck, I sat on the tailgate and hid my face in my hands.

Why? Why had I allowed them to provoke me like that? I could take just about any verbal beating. I _had_ taken most of them. But then they started to question my friendship with Edward, and everything went downhill.

I punched myself in the face. I noticed Edward standing front of me, and I saw how his eyes widened.

"What are you doing!" He shouted, reaching for the hand I'd hit myself with.

"Trying to clear my mind."

"By giving yourself a black eye?" He asked, incredulous.

I nodded. "The pain helps me think clearer." Pain I could deal with. Pain wasn't concrete and I could force myself not to think about it. And if I was avoiding something in my head, I could focus on that.

He stared at me. "So, what were you, Lauren, and Jessica fighting about?" He asked, sitting next to me. "I mean, before I came in?"

"They were mad because I didn't sit with them at lunch yesterday." I muttered, staring at my hands. The bruise I'd gotten from that guy the other night had faded into a shadow. "They seemed to think that I thought I was better than them."

Edward sighed. "That's how those two work. You're either with them or you're dirt under their shoes." He patted my shoulder.

It was then that I noticed his skin was freezing cold. And hard as rock.

"I'm impressed though," He continued, a smirk coming to his face. "I never, ever thought you could punch like that."

That made me smirk now. I rubbed my knuckles against my shirt, polishing them. "Why, thank you." I said, putting pride into my voice. And then, the reasons why I punched them came back, and all the thoughts. I grimaced. "But, you really shouldn't have seen that. No one should have." I muttered.

"You were just defending yourself." Edward tilted his head a little, a concerned look on his face.

"Doesn't matter." I mumbled. "I can defend myself without using my fists." I slammed my bruised hand into the side of my truck, the knuckle barely aching again.

Edward frowned. He looked like he was about to say something again, but I shook my head.

"I lost my head." I slammed my hands over my eyes, rubbing circles on my face. "Never, ever, should I resort to violence against civilians." I muttered, barely audible.'

Edward's face turned into full out confusion. "What?"

"Nothing," I mumbled. "Anyway, thanks for coming to me, Edward." I looked over to him, masking the anger at myself and disappointment in my eyes.

He smiled at me crookedly again. "No problem, Bella. It's what we friends do."

* * *

*Insert giant smiley here* I can tell you one thing. Ninjas sure beat out studying for semester finals! Anyway, thank you all for reading! I love the vistor count when it goes up. Farewell, my readers, until next time.


	8. Chapter 8

Alright! I only have three finals to go this week! Four essays, though... Three just for my AP Lit class! My teacher is crazy. But the semester is almost over with, and I decided to treat you guys to a nice little chapter to celebrate!

* * *

Edward laughed at his own story. I tried to laugh with him, but years and years of emotional control prevented me. Just as I tried to smile fully with him. It's true what they say: Old habits die hard.

"So," He said, after he regained his composure. "Tell me something from your childhood."

Uh…. A story. About a ninja child? I scrambled around in my brain, searching for one that seemed fairly normal. "When I was about eight, me and my best friend Lucky were trying to help our old neighbor find her cat."

"Whoa, wait a second." Edward interrupted me. "You're best friend's name is Lucky?" His face was incredulous.

I nodded. "His parents were weird." I told him and continued. "Anyway, our neighbor used to smother her cat all the time. She'd hug the poor thing and cuddle with it until it couldn't breathe. It's really no wonder it ran away all the time." I shook my head, the pictures flashing through my mind. "Every time she would enlist our help getting the little guy back. But this time was different. This time he ran out into middle of a busy street. There were people everywhere! Me and Lucky weaved in and out of the people, trying to keep the animal in sight. Fast guy, that cat is." I managed to choke out a laugh, remembering Lucky's face. "Finally, we caught him in a corner alley, and slowly approached him. Lucky got excited, however, and jumped for the cat, his arms flailing in front of him. The cat leaped over him and landed on his back, where he then proceeded to take out his anger by sinking his claws into Lucky's skin!"

Edward was laughing again, and I couldn't help but smile a little. "Then, after Lucky was done spazzing out, the cat jumps on _me!_ Scratched my face all up. But we got him back to his owner."

"Wow. That sounds interesting." Edward said.

"Welcome to the story of my childhood." I tilted my head down. Of course it was interesting. I was a freaking ninja, for crying out loud.

It was nice, though, telling someone something about me that no one else knew. Of course, Edward couldn't know the real reason we were chasing the cat. He could never really know what my childhood was like. No one around here could.

That thought almost made me sigh.

Edward and I split ways for the afternoon. I watched him go to his car with his siblings and frowned. Five teenagers in one house. That had to be bad.

His car pulled out, and he and his sister Alice flashed me a smile goodbye. I tried to smile back, again, but I think I failed miserably. I watched as they piled into a line to leave the parking lot.

I climbed into my truck, ready to follow. However, when I was about to put it in reverse, there was a knock at my window.

Looking over, I saw Edward grinning at me. I rolled down the window and stared at him.

"Hey, Bella. I was wondering if you wanted to go to Port Angles with me this weekend. There's this movie out I really want to see."

A movie? I blinked at him, before comprehending what he was asking me. Of course, friends here spent time together like that all the time. He wanted to hang out with me.

I nodded. "Sure, that sounds like fun."

His grin broke out again, covering his face. "Awesome! I'll pick you up Friday after school then!" He ran back over to his car and slid in, driving away quickly.

I shook my head. Edward seemed all shy and quiet at first, but when you started talking to him and he felt comfortable, he was a little goofy. Just a little.

Driving home, I thought about that. Hanging out with my friend. Thinking back, Lucky and I had never really _hung_ out. We went on missions together, trained together, and were practically siblings, but I never thought of that as _hanging out_.

But then again, as a ninja, hanging out was completely out of the question. We never had free time when we were in active duty. And we were in active duty from the time we graduated, to either the time we died or were deemed too old to fight.

Smiling lightly to myself, I drove home, pretty excited.

Thursday night, I was out sitting on my tree, as usual. All week I had slept out here. There was something about the way the trees rustled and the wind broke against the trunk that lulled me to sleep.

I stared out at the dark expanse of the clouded night sky, humming to myself. The tune in my head was from our Spring Festival back in the Capital. The song the instruments played to start our glorious celebration of a new year and new life. I loved the Festival. It was saddening to think that, this year, I'd be forced to miss it.

Thinking about the Festival made that homesickness come back again. Images of the lights, the food, the laughter came into my head, almost haunting me.

I stood up fast, shaking the branch under me. I needed something else to think about. Silently, I jumped down from the tree, landing with my bare feet. The grass was soft under my feet, and I sighed. Grass is the same everywhere.

I took off at a fast walking pace into the forest. In all reality, walking through the forest wasn't going to take to my mind off of anything home related. The trees would just remind me of the same things. But I went anyway.

I walked through the forests for hours, watching sky gradually get darker and then lighter. The stars moved over my head, and the clouds rolled. Every step I took, however, made me more and more frustrated.

Finally, I stopped near the creek, kneeling down by the water. I stared at my reflection in water and shook my head.

Sometimes, I would love this place. Sometimes, I hated it. Sometimes, I just wanted to scream and run until I passed out.

Closing my eyes, I threw a rock into the creek, breaking up the reflection. I clenched my fists at my sides and gritted my teeth silently. If my mom had any common sense….

_Crash!_

My head shot up. Instantly, all my senses were alive and active. I jumped to my feet, falling into a defensive crouch. I let my hand graze the hilt of the knife I hid under my shirt, and glanced around.

No one was anywhere near. I could see, hear, smell, or sense in anyway that some one was near.

Slowly, silently, I took a step forward, my bare feet pressing into the soft grass. I glanced around again, thinking that, maybe, they were waiting for me to move.

I took another step, and breathed deep. I focused my mind onto my hearing, and shoved it out all around me. To the left, I heard a herd of deer drinking. The right, some small nightcrawlers doing whatever it is nightcrawlers do. In front of me, there was nothing. But behind me, I heard the soft footsteps of someone.

I turned around and walked that way, still low, still prepared for battle. My eyes were trained on the spot where I'd heard people. People. Human people. Human people in the deep forests at night.

Yeah, yeah, I know, but I'm a ninja!

I stepped onto the edge of the bank, staring into the dark tress across the water. I couldn't move through it without making noise. I looked up and saw a tree with long enough branches to reach me across.

I twisted my mouth, and leaped up, catching the branch against my palms and easing myself over to sit on it. I listened again. Now there was talking.

"Come on, dude. I've had enough of you talking about this girl. Can't we just hunt like we usually do?"

"Sorry, Emmett." The other voice said.

Emmett…? Wasn't that Edward's brother's name? And wasn't that Edward's voice?

I crept across the branch, latching onto another tree's and swinging down. My feet hit the ground again, and I pressed my back against the trunk, peeking my head around.

"I don't mean to bother you." Edward was saying to his brother.

The two were standing there, talking. Nothing was around them. Nothing. I couldn't hear the weakest of a cricket's chirps, or the slight buzzing of a mosquito. Odd.

"Naw, bro." Emmett punched his arm. "I know what you mean. You can't really help yourself."

I watched, syncing my soft breathing with the animals around us. I had a feeling if I made one wrong move, they would hear me. The wind blew my hair away from me, opposite the brothers. Good. My scent wasn't near them either.

I was in full-on ninja mode right now. My eyes were better than those lame military grade night vision goggles people around here had. I saw every detail, every fiber of the grass, and every microscopic insect on the bark of the trees.

"She's so… different." Edward continued. "She acts as though she wasn't raised in this time period. Her manners are similar to the ones I was taught as a boy. And sometimes, whenever there's a sudden noise, her head with pop up, and her eyes say she's ready to kill whatever made that." I could see him shaking his head. "And she sleeps in a tree."

Whoa, hang on a minute, boy. A tree? Were they talking about me?

They weren't, were they? They couldn't be.

"You keep talking about her. Why don't you just bring Bella home one day? Let her meet the family." Emmett sighed heavily, sounding bored.

They were. I blinked, and bit my teeth back from gasping. That would surely give me away.

I surveyed the ground around them. The trees were rooted, and nothing suspicious…. Then my eyes caught a slight raise in the ground, and overturned dirt. Had they been digging?

"I can't Emmett. She can't be a part of our world. She's not like us."

What? Not like them? Their world? What was this all about?

Emmett growled, frustrated. "Whatever, dude. I'm going home." And I watched him take off into the forests away from me.

Edward's neck began twisting my way, and I snapped back at attention behind the tree, completely hidden from sight, closing my eyes even. I heard him sigh, and take off after his brother.

Once I was sure I was safe, I stepped out from behind the tree. Crossing the ground slowly, still alert, I came over the pile of overturned dirt. I crouched down again, and stuck my hand in, and dug the dirt back out.

Underneath, there was animal carcass, an old female deer. Its body was mostly intact, save for two crescent shaped marks on its neck. I touched them, and pulled my hand back. No blood.

I picked the body up, heaving it over my head, and feeling the lightness of it. Not very many people can tell you how much blood weighs your body down. But it does. This carcass was light, lighter than was natural for a dead creature. The blood was completely gone. Drained.

I put it back in the hole, and stared at the two bite marks. They seemed familiar, but I couldn't place it.

Then Edward's face came to my mind. His white teeth gleaming as he smiled at me, perfectly straight in his mouth.

I touched the marks, tracing them with the tips of my fingers. They had the same shape as Edward's mouth.

I buried the carcass again, leaping through the trees to get back home faster. Tonight's outing had definitely_ not_ cleared my mind. In fact, it left me with more questions than before.

But one rang truer than most: What in the world was Edward Cullen?

* * *

OOOH! What ever shall our dear ninja friend Bella do! Hehe. Anyway, Finals and school is all done until January, so I'll have more time to whatever it is I want! Tune in next time, my dear followers, to see the great ninja Bella and her sidekick Edward! (Feeling a little superher-y right now).


	9. Chapter 9

I meant to write this all day Saturday, but as it turned out, my parents wanted me to go last minute Christmas shopping. And then when I got back, my friend wanted me to come over and play FIFA '11 and Kinect. So I ended up starting this at, like, eleven at night.

* * *

I sat back on my tree, my mind reeling. Dead animals buried with teeth marks. What did that mean? I slammed my head against the trunk and growled to myself softly. Think, Bella, think. I know you can.

Maybe, it went with some other things. I looked back on all the time I'd spent with Edward this last week. He was distant from the other students. His eyes were always well guarded. His hands were ice cold and rock solid.

Wait. Something in there rang a bell.

Cold and hard. Where I had I heard or read about people being like that?

"Bella?" I heard from outside my room. My dad was awake!

I scrambled back into my room, and sat on my bed as he came in.

"Hey, kid." He greeted me. "Sleep well?"

No, I didn't. I just found out my only friend is likely something inhuman and doesn't want me around.

I nodded to him, "Of course."

"Okay, well, I'm on my way to work, and I figured you'd be awake. Have a good day." He smiled and walked out. A minute later, I heard his car start and drive away.

I stood and put on school clothing, shaking my head. Maybe, I could ask Edward about it at school.

No, I decided. I couldn't do that. There would be people around. What if he was some kind of shape shifting rabid creature and wanted to eat people. I could just throw all those kids to the dogs if I did that.

I'd ask him when we were going to our movie, then. That could work. I could easily defend myself if he got angry and attacked.

Now, I just had to act normal at school.

Even I scoffed at that thought. Me, normal? Yeah, only if you wanted to world to explode.

Edward wasn't standing in front of my spot when I got there, as he usually was. I climbed out and began heading into the building.

"Hey, Bella!" I heard a small, shrill, way-to-perky-for-the-morning voice. I turned to see Alice, Edward's sister running up to me.

"Hello, Alice." I greeted back, looked down at her. How was it possible someone could be this short?

"How was your night?" She asked, a glint coming to her eyes. Her gaze was almost… suspicious.

"Alright, I guess. I slept." I lied smoothly, as always. Lying is second nature to a ninja.

The suspicious look increased, and she frowned. "So, you and my brother are going out tonight?" She asked again, changing the subject.

I nodded. "Yeah, he wants me to see a movie with him." I told her, blinking. This girl was seriously weird. With every word I said, her eyes seemed to glaze for a moment, then come back with excitement.

"Well, that sounds like fun!" She smiled again.

I shrugged. "I guess it will be."

She narrowed her eyes, again, and tilted her head. "What do you mean, 'I guess?'"

"Just that." I frowned. "I guess. I don't know if it will be good or not, so I have to guess."

Alice bounced up and down for a moment. "Oh, I think it will be very good!"

I just nodded to her, and watched as Edward came from the door behind us. He saw Alice talking to me and shook his head. When his eyes came to my face, I saw the color was a much lighter gold then they were yesterday. I almost had to blink hard and look again, I was so shocked.

"Alice, are you bothering Bella again?" He asked, coming up.

Alice shook her head and laughed. "Of course not, Edward!" She grinned brightly, showing her insanely white, perfect teeth to him. "We were just having a nice conversation, right, Bella?"

I looked at her, then Edward, and nodded. "Alice was just saying that she hopes we have fun at the movies tonight."

"No, that I _know_ you will have fun tonight, Edward."

Whatever _that_ meant. I resisted the eye roll that comment deserved, and folded my arms.

Alice giggled and grabbed her brother's arm. "When are you bringing her over, Edward? Carlisle and Esme want to meet her too, you know." She smiled widely at me.

I frowned. I assumed Carlisle and Esme were their parents. But why would Alice want me to meet them? She confused me.

Edward shook his head at her. "I think it's time for us to all go to class, don't you think, Alice?" He glared at her.

She laughed again. "Okay! Bye Edward!" She hugged him, and then came over and hugged me. I froze, and my battle instincts kicked in. "Bye Bella! I hope I see you again soon!"

She ran off, and not a second too soon. Another moment with her arms around me, and her face would have met the floor, without my meaning to introduce them.

I looked over to Edward. He sighed and scratched his head. "Sorry about her."

"You said that last time I talked to her." I noted. "She's not that bad. A little hyperactive, but not bad." Besides, as far as hyperactive people went, Lucky had her beat by a mile.

"You don't think she's creepy?" He asked, pure confusion coming over his face. "The way she just randomly hugs you after meeting you for the second time?"

I shrugged. "I've seen a lot weirder things than her. And as far as the creep factor goes…. Well, I'm not even going to get into that."

How did he even think of his sister as creepy? Maybe it was part of whatever kind of creature Edward was.

"So," He looked away, and frowned lightly. "Are we still on for our movie?"

I nodded. "I said I'd go, didn't I?"

The frown disappeared. "Yeah, you did." He almost smiled at me. The bell rang, and his face fell again.

"I'll talk to you later, Edward." I told him.

He nodded and smiled. "Later, Bella."

I turned around and walked toward my class. When I got there, I did the usual and tuned out the lecture. Instead my thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Edward's secret. It was still puzzling me. But his sister's skin felt the same as his. Like she'd slept in a refrigerator. Maybe his whole family was in on it.

Thinking about it just made me frustrated.

I sat outside my house after school, leaning against my truck. Edward said he would come get me after he dropped his siblings off at home. I was still a little concerned random people knew where my father's house was, but Edward said everyone knew everything that went on and where everyone lived. It was a small town, you know.

I waited, a little impatiently. I wanted to get this over with. I had to talk to him about it. He was something different. It was eating me up inside.

Hearing an engine coming down the street, I pulled out of my thoughts, and saw Edward behind the wheel of his shiny Volvo. At least, I hoped it was that, because that's what it said on the front.

He pulled in next to my truck in the driveway and jumped out. "Hello again, Bella." He smiled and walked over the passenger side of the car. Opening the door, he motioned me inside.

I stood at my truck, staring at him. "Hello, Edward." I said, trying to smile. I walked over and climbed into his car, taking in the glowing dash lights and surrounding seats. A fight would be bad in here.

He ran around to the driver's side and climbed in, too. "I hope you weren't waiting too long, Bella."

I shook my head. "No, not long." I muttered.

The car pulled out and we were on the highway soon. We'd traveled through town without a word. I was trying to think of a way to ask him.

I decided, I'd just say it.

"Edward." I cleared my face of all emotion, and tensed my muscles. "I know you're not human."

His face blanched. Which was completely odd, seeing as his face was already as white as skin could get. "What?" He muttered, fear coming over his eyes.

"Did you not hear me?" I furrowed my eyebrows. "I said, I know you're not—"

He put his cold hand over my mouth, and pulled the car over to side of the road. "I heard what you said." He took a deep breath. "But, why… why would you think that?"

"I've seen things you do, Edward. I know." I mumbled through his hand, and then took it off. "Your skin is as hard as stone, and cold as one too. I'm not sure on this one, but I think you can run faster than any animal or human could. And…" I closed my eyes. "You…. I saw the deer last night. With your teeth marks."

I heard a slam and opened my eyes to see Edward outside of the car, with his fist against a broken tree. Add super strength to that list. I got out after him, walking over to him.

"Tell me, Edward." I frowned.

"You can't guess?" He sneered. "The result will be the same either way."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You'll run away from me. You'll talk your mother into letting you live with her again so you won't have to see me." He muttered, his head falling and his voice turning sad.

I glared at him, anger coming over my mind. "Run away?" I growled, shoving him against the tree with my hand. His eyes came up and stared at me with shock. "Never again will I _ever_ suggest running away!" Especially not from you, I thought. Then I mentally punched myself. Don't think that way, Bella.

"What are you talking about?" He asked this time. "I'm confused."

"Running away is the reason I got stuck here!" I let his shoulder go and slammed my fist into the tree behind him. "Once, just once, when we were going to die, retreat was the best option."

"You're not making any sense…."

"Neither do you, Edward!" I almost shouted at him, then I gritted my teeth. "Nothing here makes sense."

He closed his eyes and touched my cheek. I felt my eyes go wide, and my muscles coiled, ready to attack. "If I tell you what I am, will you tell me about you? You're just as confusing as I'm sure I am."

I sighed heavily and clenched my fists at my sides. Should I? Telling him I was ninja was forbidden. But, then again, if he wasn't human, it surely couldn't be against the law, could it?

"Fine." I nodded to him. "I'll tell you."

"Vampire." He muttered, barely audible to normal human ears. "I'm a vampire."

"Vampire?" I could hear the shock in my voice, and I pulled away from him and began pacing. "No, that's not possible. We killed the vampire race over four hundred years ago."

He followed me. "We? Who is we?"

"My clan." I muttered, trying to think through this. "We completely eradicated vampires. Or at least that's what the history books said. They said we were the victors of the Mainlandanic Wars against the supernatural."

"Your clan?" He rubbed his face and stopped my pacing. "Bella, please, what are you talking about?"

"My ninja clan." I told him, still fidgeting. The shock was beginning to wear off, and turn into a combination between anger and confusion.

"Ninja!" He shouted. "Ninja only exist in movies and cartoons, Bella."

"And vampires only exist in history books!" I threw back at him. "Really, it's a little ridiculous to think that you're the only person who not like everyone else here."

He blinked and let go of my shoulders. "But… you seem so human."

"I _am_ human, Edward." I told him. "Ninjas aren't some sort of supernatural creature. We're human, or at least we have the same make up as humans. We're more like…" Uh, what was is. Something I had read in a magazine when I was here as a kid. Someone human, but with incredible powers. "We're more like superhumans."

"So, you have superpowers?" He looked at me, skeptical. I almost punched him.

"I guess you could call them that. I could take that tree you broke there and throw it into the ocean several miles away. I could take that rock over there and turn it into dust. And I could leap through this forest and be back home before you could start your car again."

"That's why you weren't frightened by us…" He looked at his shoes. "You've already seen things worse than us, haven't you?"

I nodded. "Things a _lot_ worst than you, Edward. Things that could probably eat your entire family for breakfast and still be hungry for more."

"That's why you were upset for punching Lauren out. You said you never should have hurt a civilian." His voice held recognition now. He was piecing me together too.

"Yes." I muttered. I still felt bad about that. Not that Lauren didn't deserve it, but I shouldn't have been the one to punch her.

He smiled at me, and grabbed me between his arms. My eyes went wide again, with the usual tensed muscles. "Wow." He muttered. "You're incredible."

I blinked. No one had ever said that about me before. "I guess." I whispered, still pent up on his running away comment earlier. "But I still got exiled."

He hugged me tighter, and my muscles relaxed a little. "Well, maybe it was supposed to happen. I don't know any of the details, and I don't expect you to tell them to me tonight, but I have to admit, I'm a little glad you came here."

I looked up at him, eyes narrowed.

"No, no, not like that." He laughed, the easy smile he'd given me before he knew my ninja secret in place. "I got to meet you. That's why I'm glad."

I shook my head. This boy was one of those sappy ones, wasn't he? Always talking about his emotions.

But, as he held me against him in the darkness, I really didn't care. He was a nice boy, er… vampire, and I liked spending time with him. And it was a great relief to have him know about me. And for me to know about him.

* * *

Meh... I meant to have Edward find out another way, but my cursed fingers wouldn't stop. Eh, but Bella still has to _show_ Edward what she means, I guess. But, for now, I'm going to go play Metroid. Farewell!


	10. Chapter 10

I started writing this almost directly after I posted the last one, but so many things kept getting in the way! I had to clean my house for Christmas company, went to a boring Halo party, and had to wrap a ton of presents. Beh. Still, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

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"I'm curious, Bella." Edward started off, sitting back behind the driver's wheel. "How is it you don't look oriental? I mean, ninjas are from Japan, right?"

"Originally, they were." I leaned back against his passenger seat. "I don't know. I mean, why don't you Americans all talk with British accents? It's a separation thing, I guess. Our features had to change in order to fit our surroundings."

"And you live with your father here?"

"Yeah, I was originally born here in Forks. My mom's parents were self-enforced exiles and raised her here."

"What does it take to be a ninja?" Edward asked again.

"How many questions do you have, Edward?" I sighed. "Seriously."

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's just… ninja are supposed to be little kid things. You know, action figures and anime."

"Hey," I frowned. "I like that one anime with the yellow haired kid. It's pretty true to the ninja lifestyle." And then I rolled my eyes. "But I would_ never_ wear orange on a mission."

"So you go on missions?"

"Yes. A clan's rank is decided by how many able-bodied ninja reside in their range and how many missions they can take on."

"Back to my earlier question. What does it take to be a ninja?"

I glared at him. More questions. Ugh. "Well, first off, we have to show some kind of specialty before age three. I had a thing for messing with people's minds and reading their movements easily. And then we have to have a control over our bodies. Way beyond just breathing and blinking. I can slow my heart rate, or speed it up at will; I can reverse blood flow, and give myself a shot of adrenaline if I need it. And I can hone my senses by simply focusing my mind on them."

He stared out at the road. "So, you said you saw me hunting."

"Eh," I grimaced. "Not really. I saw you and your brother talking afterwards, or what I assume to be afterwards, and when you left, I dug up the deer corpse."

He frowned. "And you automatically thought it was me?"

"No, of course not." I shook my head. "But as I examined it, I realized that the bite marks matched your mouth structure."

He stared at me, not watching the road anymore. "You know how my mouth is structured?"

I scoffed. "Of course. Edward, it's my job to know everything about everyone who could possibly be a threat. And anyone is capable of being a threat, so don't take offense."

"So, I killed an innocent animal, and you don't care?"

"Really, Edward? You want me to feel sorry for a creature that lives to be eaten by higher ups on the food chain? It's just the cycle. I eat animals too."

"You don't suck their blood."

"Sometimes I might as well, they're so undercooked. Mission life isn't exactly comfortable."

"So what do you do on missions?" He asked again. "Are they like field trips?"

I shook my head. "Not a chance. Field trips are nice, educational, fun. Missions are, while some are fun, treacherous. Every one you go one could be your last, if you're not careful."

He looked at me with worry. "You could die on them?"

"Really, have you never watched a common ninja movie or anything? We're supped up spies! We fight to protect secrets, assassinate bad politicians, and escort the good ones. You think that there wouldn't be any threat in that job?"

He looked away sheepishly. "Sorry." He muttered. "But, it's all so… unbelievable. I can't see you fighting for your life."

"That's exactly why I am the best." I held my head high. "I've practiced a sweet and innocent air so that enemies won't suspect me. And then, as they're busy trying to down my comrades, I take them out."

I noticed we were in a parking lot now. Outside a giant, bill boarded building with people flowing in and out. The theatre, from what the sign said.

"Have you ever seen a movie?" Edward asked, frowning and looking away.

I punched his shoulder, ignoring the small ache in my knuckles. "Yes, moron. I have, in fact, seen several. What do you think I am, a cavewoman?"

"Well, no. But I mean, in modern society, ninja are kind of obsolete, so I figured the culture was different back where you're from. Maybe not as advanced."

"We're advanced enough, Edward. Just because we don't walk around with giant guns on our backs. Guns are kind of cheating anyway. But most of us enjoy modern things, like movies, plays, sports."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to offend you."

I waved him off. "No problem. But, after this movie, I get to question you."

He laughed nervously. "Okay, I think."

He ran over to open my door, and I smiled. Just like back home. This guy knew how to treat people.

"You know," I told him as we were walking through the parking lot. "Most guys back home would do the same thing. Opening a door for a girl, helping her up, pulling her chair for her. Common courtesy stuff." And I knew his next question, so I answered it. "We're a society build heavily on respect and morals. Our elders run things, we nod and refer to our superiors as their ranks, never by any casual terms, and we respect our peers above ourselves."

He looked off into the gloomy sky above us. "I would love to visit this place."

I shivered involuntarily at the thought. "I don't think that'd go over so well."

"Why not?"

"We, uh, kind of have a thing against outsiders. Only those born to ninja parents, or have island parents, can ever go there."

"Why?" Edward asked again, stepping up to take out tickets.

"Cultural protection. No outside influence means we stay the same."

Edward led me toward our theatre number, and we found seats. "So, what were your theatres like back home?"

I shrugged. "Similar to this one, I guess. Maybe a little bigger or smaller. Depended on what movie we were watching."

Edward went to ask me another question, but the movie started, and he fell silent. I sat back and watched the action unfurl on the screen.

But I couldn't focus on the plot line. Talking to Edward about my life was great, but it brought up memories and thoughts that made me homesick again. I wanted to bash my head against the wall.

I wanted to go back home and sit outside my house, watching the people of the Capital go about their daily lives. I wanted to sit by a fire at night, and stay on look-out for enemy ninja. I wanted to wake up in the morning and not go to school. And, most importantly, I wanted to wake up in my own house, in my city, with my people.

The movie ended, without me really knowing what had happened. Edward and I walked out of the theatre to find night had fallen over the port. The stars were barely visible through the thin clouds, and my heart ached again.

Mentally slapping myself, I turned to Edward. "First question, vampire boy: how old are you?"

Edward's smile disappeared. "Seventeen."

I rolled my eyes. "C'mon, that's fudging it."

"Alright, I was changed when I was seventeen, which was back in 1918."

Wow, this guy was old. I laughed stiffly and said, "I know a few people that old, but I have got to say, you look pretty dang good for a hundred-and-nine-year-old." That brought his smile back.

Next question. "How does one become a vampire?" I asked him. "Are the legends true about the change: you have to exchange blood with a vampire in order to change?"

He shook his head and unlocked my door. "No, you just have to bitten by a vampire. And it's really hard to make us bleed. Our skin is like a rock."

Don't I know it. "What about pacts?" I recalled the history books from my youth. "Do you have a pact with the person who changed you? Like eternal servitude or anything like that?"

Edward shook his head again, and started the car. "No, I don't. While some vampires choose to hold it over their charges head, Carlisle would never do that. He only changed me because he was lonely, not because he wanted a minion."

I almost asked him why Carlisle chose him, but decided that could wait. He didn't ask me about my coming here, I wouldn't ask him about his, either.

"Why are your eyes not red?" I asked, recalling that guy I met here in Port Angles. I now knew he was a vampire.

"Because we don't drink from humans. We chose to feed off animal blood, instead."

"Why?" Why should he suppress his vampiric nature like that?

"Well, why not?" He shot back. "Why would I want to look at people and see their fear before I kill them? Why would I want to be a monster?"

A monster. "Do you think killing an innocent would make you a monster?" I looked away, thinking of the war back home.

"Yes, I do."

I couldn't help it. My head fell, and I sighed. He would think of me as some crazed individual now. Killing innocent people.

"Wait, what's wrong?" Edward asked, turning toward me. "Did I say something bad?"

"No, you just told me what you thought." You just told me that you would think of me as a monster.

He didn't seem to believe me, but turned back toward the road, eyeing me from the corners of his eyes.

"Anyway," I cleared my throat and continued. "Do you sleep in a coffin or a hole surrounded by dirt?" Anything to rid my mind of those thoughts.

"No, actually, I, uh, can't sleep."

"At all? Then why don't vampires in legends ever come out in the sunlight? Does it burn or what?"

"Well, the sun doesn't burn or harm me in anyway, but, it's not like I can go outside in it. It'd be a little… conspicuous." He grimaced, as if picturing what would happen.

"So, you guys have incredible speed and strength. What else do you have? Laser vision, flying abilities, mind reading, what?"

He chuckled lightly and eyed me. "One of those is correct." Edward gave me that stupid, adorable crooked smile. Ah, damn it.

"Which one?"

"Guess."

"If you had laser vision, I would officially make you my hero." I joked, thinking about Edward lasering through sheet metal to help me infiltrate an enemy camp. "How useful would that be! But, you probably don't. So, I'm going to go with mind reading."

"And you would be correct. I read minds." He shrugged. "With one exception, of course."

I raised my eyebrow. "And that would be?"

He turned to look at me again, and pulled the car into a parking lot. "You."

"Me?"

"I can't read your mind, Bella. And it frustrates me to no end." He looked out to our new destination. "But, before you ask why, I'd like to treat you to dinner."

Well, this was new. I'd never had a boy _treat_ me to dinner. Then again, I still hadn't. Edward wasn't a boy; I had to stop calling him that. He was older than both my parents combined. He could be an Elder back in the Capital.

I tried to smile at him, but I failed miserably. He laughed, opened my door, and led me inside. I might be able to get used to this.

Might.

* * *

Man, the internet connection on my laptop is out, so I had to put this on my flashdrive and drag it all the way downstairs to my desktop! Erg, that tiny little piece of machinery frustrates me.

In other, maybe completely unrelated, news, I've been watching the American Ninja Warrior competetion of G4, and I'm totally psyced for the finale in Japan (Go Levi!). Ninjas have been very dominant in my attention this week.

And, I probably don't say this enough (in fact, I've never really said it in a note like this) but you alerters, favoriters, and reveiwers really make my day. Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed this tenth installment of Ninja of a Modern Era. Farewell for now!


	11. Chapter 11

Yeah! Christmas Eve! Pretty stoked myself, how about you guys? Well, while I'm not sleeping this year, I just thought "hey, my laptop is on and lonely. Why don't I write some more." So I did.

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"I hope you like Italian food," Edward said, scratching the back of his head. "It's not like I asked where you wanted to go."

I shook my head. "Edward, everything tastes good to me. I don't dislike any kind of food."

Edward glanced at me, a question in his eyes, but he turned away and led me into the restaurant. It was small inside, with several people scattered about tables and booths. A server stood by a podium in the front, looking bored. The second we walked in, though, her eyes popped up and examined us.

Something about the way she eyed Edward left me with a foul taste in my mouth. I narrowed mine at her.

She led us to our table, well-lit, in the middle of the room. I frowned, and shuffled uncomfortably. I hated being in the middle of anything. The middle was never where a ninja should be. Always the outskirts.

I elbowed Edward, and tried to get him to read in my eyes that I didn't want to sit there.

He nodded at me, smiling softly, and asked the server, "Excuse me, but can we get something more… private?"

The server frowned, subtly, but led us to a nice, secluded booth in the corner of the restaurant. The closest table with people was several feet away, and they were an elderly couple. No problem with being overheard, whatever Edward decided to talk about.

"What can I get you to drink?" The server asked, her head tilted toward me, but her eyes still glued to Edward.

Drink…. Oh, man! I didn't know what they drank here! I glanced over to Edward for help.

"Coke for me," He said, smiling at me.

"Make it two." Thank you vampire-boy and your knowledge of common mainland drinks.

The server nodded and said she'd be back shortly with our drinks.

Edward chuckled at me. "I can't believe you didn't know what to order for a drink."

"Hey," I frowned indignantly. "I wasn't raised where carbonated beverages were common. No one on my island serves it."

"So, you lived on an island." Edward leaned forward, his eyes curious again. Swell. "What island?"

"You wouldn't know it." I put a little sarcasm into my face, but still tried to smile at him. Maybe, one day, I would master facial expressions. "It's not on any common day map."

"Try me. I've seen lots of maps."

I shrugged. Alright then, know-it-all. "I live on the island continent of Kugresa Opala. It's east of here, about five hundred nautical miles, takes a modern USA Marine ship about four days to reach it, if, that is, they can get through the rough seas and monsterous whirlpools."

Edward's face was blank. "You're right. I have no idea where that is."

"Told you so." I smirked.

"So, you said you liked every kind of food." He stared at my hands on the table. "What's the weirdest thing you have ever eaten?"

I thought about that one, flipping my thumbs around. "That's tough. Lots of things are pretty weird to eat. There's roasted skittlier: that stuff is really chewy and dry. Charred bark, man, that was probably the worst thing I've ever eaten. Jungle spider, plain grass with vine sap on it. When you're a ninja, nothing's really weird anymore."

He listened to me with fascination on his face. I couldn't imagine what he was fascinated with. Yeah, I mean, these were awesome stories—a ninja's stories helped define rank among peers—but he couldn't possibly find _me_ interesting. I worked so hard to not be interesting. Interesting equals attention, which then equals enemy ninja finding out I'm spying and then they attack. It's a big mess in the end.

"What about you, huh?" I turned on him. "What would happen if vampire-boy over here were to eat human food?"

Edward grimaced at me, clearly displeased with this new thought. "It's not pretty, let me tell you. We can eat it, but it's tasteless and disgusting, and we can't digest it."

Oh. That seemed fairly reasonable. I nodded at him and fell silent. The server came with our drinks and asked for our food orders.

I glanced down at the menu, and ordered the first dish there, and Edward, being a vampire and all, passed on food. The server looked disappointed, but walked away. Which was probably healthier than stay near me right now. Her eyes were going to be gouged out painfully if she came by again.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked, following my glare. I didn't even realize I let it show.

"That girl," I mumbled. "She keeps eying you, and it's making me angry. I don't like where her thoughts are going."

He tilted his head, and looked at me, silently communicating his question.

"Really, Edward?" I narrowed my eyes at him now, shaking my head. "I'm a freaking _ninja_! Reading people is what I do! And she's a lot easier to read then most people I've had decipher before." I reached over the table and smacked him lightly on the head. "And don't give me that intrigued look. Those stories would make you sick to your stomach, even if you don't use it."

Edward chuckled and reached his hand over mine. The second his cold skin touched mine, I jerked away, reflexively. Not from the cold, but from the touch. Touching someone back home meant certain death. I knew, in my head, that here it was different, but my instincts rule most of my actions. I glanced away, studying the intricate patterns on the wall.

"Sorry." He seemed a little heartbroken. Oh, had I offended him that badly.

I closed my eyes. "You have to understand, Edward. I haven't experienced the world as you have. On the island, and in the life of a ninja, everything is very practical. We don't do much for leisure, and our bodies are something we have to keep to ourselves. The only time we touch another person is when we're fighting, or about to snap their neck or slit their throat." I opened them and looked at him. "My head knows you don't want to do that, but my instincts are usually in charge."

"Instincts? What do they tell you?" He frowned. "Like overall. How do they help you… be you?"

"Well, when you let your instincts take over in battle, reaction time is a lot faster. It tunes us into a much wilder mindset. When the instincts take over, we can see a lot further, without the usual effort and focus, run faster, react faster, think faster, and fight better. Ninjas are raised to be thinking, fighting machines. Basically, instincts could save your life."

"But why are you using them in a restaurant?"

"It's not… easy to shut them off. You probably understand that. You can't just shut off everything you are for a few moments. And you can never really let your guard down, either."

He smiled brightly at me. "You get it…" He muttered, more to himself. "That's… incredible. I never expected anyone outside my family to get it. But you…."

He seemed speechless. I looked away, uncomfortable with the bearing of my mind. I looked at where his hands rested on the table, and let myself wonder for a moment. What would it be like if he were to touch my hand with a warm, not evil, intent?

I found out a second later, when he reached for my hand again. I wrestled with myself not to pull away from him. This was something I was going to have to get used to.

His hand was cold and hard, but it felt… nice on top of mine. I was really confused at that. Nice was not usually something I used to describe feelings. I hated feelings.

I looked at Edward's face, confusion running rampant in my mind, but my face remaining flat. The usual grin he had for me was there, but he seemed almost proud with himself. Or me. Or both. I couldn't tell. Maybe vampires were touchaphobs too.

My food came, and I pulled my hand away from his, watching the frown that came over Edward's face when I did. I ate quickly, not really tasting the food. Edward watched me eat, as usual, with fascination. This guy had to get over it already. It was just food.

"Are you done?" He asked, when my plate was clear.

Obviously, I almost said. There was _nothing_ on my plate anymore. The kitchen probably wouldn't have to scrub this plate at all it was so spotless. "Yes." I nodded at him, and watched as he paid the check. The server was very, _very_ close to being decked.

We walked outside together, Edward just barely brushing my hand. That fuzzy warmth was back in my chest, and I tried to ignore it.

Edward went to open my door again, but the second he touched the car my feet stopped.

That ominous feeling was back. I flipped around, and darted my eyes about. I noticed Edward turned his head up, breathing deeply. Smelling something out.

The feeling was familiar. It was just like….

Wind rushed past me, and it took my body a moment to realize I had been hit in the chest. The second my feet regained their grip, I was down in a battle crouch, senses flaring and mind working.

There. A few yards away from Edward and I.

My old friend, the red eyed vampire.

* * *

Well, well. Cliffhanger. But, I'm tired now. After doodling and typing for a couple of hours, my eyes are falling. But, I wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas. Unless you don't celebrate Christmas, then I wish you an awesome ninja-filled day.

Cuz ninjas freakin' rock.


	12. Chapter 12

Here we go! Fight scene! The response to last chapter really made me happy! This story must be getting popular. You guys rock!

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"Well, well, well," I muttered. "If it isn't my old friend."

Edward glanced at me. He had moved to stand in front of me, and was crouched low, similar to me. "You know him?"

"Kind of," I snarled, and stepped up beside Edward. "He attacked me the last time I was in Port Angles."

"What!" Edward turned and stared at me. "You were attacked here? Why didn't you tell me!"

"You didn't ask." My eyes never moved from the red ones glowing across the parking lot.

This guy had a lot of guts, coming out into a brightly lit parking lot. Glancing through my peripheral vision, however, revealed me as the only human nearby. This guy was clever. Last time, he'd also chosen a time where no one was outside.

"Isabella Swan!" The vampire shouted toward us. "I have found you once again. And now I will bring you back, dead."

"Go ahead and try, buddy." I tilted my head up, confidence welling. I quickly pushed it down and stomped it out. Confidence could get me killed.

The vampire lunged at me again, this time I threw my fist out the second he was supposed to be on me, and caught…

Air? Wait!

Edward was on the ground, pinning Red-eye to the ground, snarling like a feral animal. Red-eye was squirming for all he could, but Edward's grip on his shoulders was firm.

"What are you doing!" I shouted, angry that Edward had got my fight.

"This guy wants you dead." He spat, still glaring at Red-eye. "I'll kill him first."

"I know he wants me dead." I folded my arms, watching the vampire struggle underneath my friend. "He's said that more than once. But you took my fight, Edward."

Edward's head spun to meet my eyes. "You're upset I _took_ your fight? Is this a game to you?" His teeth were still out, and set my guard off again.

"No, nothing is a game, Edward. But this vampire is _mine_. He wants _me_. My blood. And I'm beginning to want his blood spilled as well." I gazed at him steadily.

"Why don't you listen to your girl?" Red-eye coughed beneath Edward. "I'm only after her. Not you."

Edward looked down at him and socked him in the face. Red-eye's head snapped back on to the concrete. However, the moving of Edward's hand had given the vampire room to shift his shoulder up, and flip Edward onto his back, pinning him now.

Watching Edward fall flat on the ground, with a malicious vampire hovering over him, ready to kill, infuriated me. Without thinking, I launched my body forward, tackling Red-eye off of him by catching him around the waist. Lifting his body over my head, I mustered all the strength in my arms and flung him into the nearby waters.

I heard a satisfying splash, and a curse. Edward came up behind me, putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Woah, Edward," I muttered, my eyes trained on the direction of Red-eye. "This fight isn't over quite yet."

"How can you—"

The second he began talking, Red-eye rushed me, and I ducked from his sucker punch. I bent my knees and grabbed his legs, flipping him over my shoulder.

"C'mon," I shouted, the thrill of battle coming over me. "I thought you could fight! You're a vampire, right?"

Red-eye growled, and lunged at me again. This time, I shot my foot out and caught his chest. Using the tiniest bit of adrenaline, I shoved him out. I heard Edward gasp behind me, but I was too focus to think anything else about it. I ran up to the vampire, picking him up by the collar of his shirt.

I pulled my wrist back, and snapped it forward, hearing the satisfying smack of fist-on-face. Feeling myself grinning, I hit him again, watching as his face cracked. Vampires cracked when they were injured. Interesting.

"Had enough, buddy?" I shouted in his face, wrapping my fingers around his neck.

Red-eye strained against my hold, but I was fueled with rage and excitement. I flipped him over my head, crashing his body into the concrete below my feet, hearing the air fly from him.

He managed to worm his way out then, only to be tackled again by Edward. I walked over and crouched down over the vampire face.

"Better watch who you're dealing with, vampire." I growled at him. "You have no _idea_ what you've just gotten into."

Edward glanced at me, concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?" He muttered to me.

I ignored him, and glared at Red-eye. "Who sent you after me?" I elbowed him in the eye. "Why are you here?"

The vampire howled and jerked, but Edward held him down.

"Answer me!" I snapped my fist into his cracked cheek again. "Who sent you!"

"There was more than one!" The vampire shouted. "I don't know their names!"

He was lying. Don't ask me how I knew, but I did.

I took the knife from under my shirt and dug it beneath his cracked skin, prying it away. Another scream.

"I know you're lying, vampire!" I shoved my knife further into the crack. "Answer me, and give me the truth! Or there is a lot more where this came from." And I socked him again.

"Okay, okay!" He panted. "I'll answer!" He took a breath, and closed his eyes, as if he was scared. "Their names are James and Victoria."

One name rang in my mind. Victoria.

"The leader of the Ponta clan?" I growled. "Are you freaking kidding me? Why the hell would Victoria A. Pontas send an assassin after me, huh?"

"She says you're the deciding factor!" The vampire screamed, when he saw I was about to punch him again. "Something about your mother and her army were getting closer. All I had to do was get rid of you and it'd stop. The war would be over, with the Pontas as victor!"

"Edward," I glanced at him. His face was blank, but his eyes revealed racing thoughts. "How do you kill a vampire?"

He snapped to attention then. "You have to rip the body apart and burn the pieces." He answered automatically. "But you're not seriously thinking about—"

"Oh, yes, I am." I said, standing up fully.

"No!" Red-eye shouted, jerking around again. "I won't come after you anymore, promise!"

I kicked him in the head. "Yeah, like I'd believe you. Anyone with the Ponta clan is a traitor. I'm doing a civic duty. And you ought to be honored to be destroyed by me." I met his eyes again, and felt the evil smile come back. "Better me then my mother, buddy. She'd torture you."

Edward looked up at me, protest on his tongue. I shook my head at him, and motioned for him to follow me toward the dock.

Lucky for us, it wasn't far. The vampire struggled as Edward held him, screaming he didn't want to die, was too young, sorry, or whatever. I'd learned to ignore this.

I set to making fire on a piece of driftwood lying under the planks. Once the fire was blazing, I went back to Red-eye and Edward.

"Help me take him apart, would you, Edward?" I said, not really asking. Gripping on arm, I yanked with all my strength, and threw it toward the flames. The second it got near the heat, the appendage caught.

Edward helped me silently, as we pulled the vampire apart and threw his body into the fire. When we done, and I had stamped the flames out, I picked up the charred remains and went the water's edge, dropping them into the current.

Edward came up beside me, hands in pocket, and a worried look on his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked, catching my gaze.

"Fine." I answered flatly.

"But, you just ripped apart a vampire. It can be scarring the first time. I—"

"Edward, it's part of what I do." I turned my head toward the water. "This isn't the first time I've had to get rid of a body. Fighting and killing is second nature to me."

I felt his eyes on me, and shook my head. Turning back, I motioned for him to follow me. "Let's go back to Forks. Who knows how many people are after my head."

He followed silently, clearly shocked at what he'd just seen. When we got back to the car, he didn't open my door, but sat, stunned in the driver's seat.

"Bella, I can't believe that you just took apart a vampire. Only a vampire can kill a vampire."

I shrugged and leaned back, the excitement coming down, leaving me chilled. "I told you, Edward. It's part of what I do. I have to be able to kill _anything_."

"What else have you killed?" He muttered, staring at the wheel. Sadness washed over his face, and almost made me feel guilty for being so blank-faced with him. Almost.

"Lots of things. Humans, rabid creatures, the works. Can you start the car already? Or should I drive?"

He turned the key, and the vehicle hummed to life. He didn't say much as we were driving out of town. The further we got from Port Angles, the more I hated the way I was being toward Edward.

"Edward," I muttered, looking out the window. "I'm sorry if I frightened you back there. I'm… not used to… this." I struggled for the words. "It has to be hard to know I'm not… like everyone else."

"Bella, I admit you did scare me a little back there. I've never seen a ninja in action. I never expected…." He trailed off. "But I was more worried about the look in your eyes when you were interrogating him. It was like… you were a…"

"A feral creature with a lust for the kill?" I offered, turned back to face front. "I know. Sometimes I get… excited in battle."

"Excited?" Edward shouted, turning toward me. "Bella, you just _kill_ someone! How can you be excited!"

"Edward, how many times do I have to say this? It's what I do!" I turned toward him, and felt something coming over me. I was sad he was upset with me, and wanted him to calm down. But more importantly, I wanted not to frighten him. "I'm a killer, Edward! It's what I do! I was trained from the age I could walk to take the breath from another being!"

"But it's not—"

"What, Edward?" I tried to push the anger away, but my usual emotional barriers were malfunctioning. "It's not right? It's not what someone should be doing? It's not what you picture _me _doing?"

"Why are you upset with me?" He pulled the car over and jerked his body to face me. "I'm just curious!" His voice held desperation for me to calm down now.

"No, Edward. You're scared out of your mind now, aren't you? You said earlier that if you kill innocent people, you're a monster. Guess what, Edward, I'm a monster. Innocent deaths have been caused by my hand. The hand you held earlier!" I shoved the door out, feeling the soft breeze on my skin. "And now I frighten you!"

"Bella!" Edward followed me out of the car. "You don't—"

I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes, pushing my forehead against a tree. "Yes, I do, Edward." I muttered. "I can see it in your eyes. It's not just shock, it's pure fear."

I felt cold arms around my shoulders, holding me. My body froze from instinct, but Edward just held me tighter.

"When I saw you fighting that vampire, I couldn't help but think that he was going to kill you. I was terrified of what he would do, not of you." He whispered to me, burying his face against my hair. "And now I find out that you fight like that every day of your life. It makes me think of what would happen if anyone else were to kill you. I'm frightened by the idea of you dying, Bella."

What? Now, I was frozen for another reason.

Did Edward… care about me?

I blinked hard and breathed again. Someone cared about me? How…

"You care if I live or die, Edward?" I could help myself from asking.

He turned me around, his arms still around me, and held my gaze. "Yes, I do care about you. More than anything." His eyes said he wanted to continue, but I stopped him.

"You care about me…? But…" I was completely stunned. My mind stopped functioning in a straight line and was jumping all over the place. "But… I'm…"

"I told you, you're incredible."

Incredible. I closed my eyes. "But you still think I'm a monster. Edward, you said-"

Now, it was his turn to cut me off. "I know what I said. I didn't know back then. But, how could someone like you be a monster?" His eyes shone with some foreign emotion. I struggled to find a word for it, but he didn't let my scrambled mind find one before he was talking again. "I mean, you keep all this a secret to protect everyone around you. When you, Lauren, and Jessica were in that fight, you still held back when you punched Lauren. You could have killed her with one hit, couldn't you?"

I nodded. "It'd be so easy." I mumbled, staring at the ground.

His finger caught me under the chin and pulled my face back up. "But you didn't kill her. Why not?"

I wanted to say that she wasn't worth it, that I didn't want to, but I couldn't. "I'm not as noble as you think. I didn't kill her because… I wasn't ordered to." I pulled away from his arms and paced. "Ninjas take an oath not to kill civilians unless otherwise ordered by a superior."

"You don't have a superior here, though. You could have gotten away with it."

I flipped around toward him. Gotten away with it? Was he _insane_? "No, I wouldn't, Edward. We can't get away with anything. The Elders are always watching us. Any ninja that has ever broken oath, defied orders, or abandoned a comrade is severely punished. We take something like that very seriously. _They_ would see, and have someone seek me out. Someone I couldn't fight. A friend, Edward. A friend would have to kill me." I shook my head. "When you break a rule, you don't just harm the mission and yourself, you harm your friends."

"That is… seriously twisted, Bella."

"It's how we are. There's no explanation for it." I turned toward the car.

Edward put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a sympathetic look. "Bella…."

"And now that I've started spend time with you, the Elders are bound to be upset. Not that they'll send anyone after me yet." I clenched my fists. "But one wrong move and they will. Edward, I can't be too careful."

"It's okay." Edward stepped in front of me, and put both hands on my shoulders, smiling. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

His eyes were sincere. He meant it. He cared.

"Edward," I swallowed, and bit my lip. "I, uh," I couldn't say it. I wasn't supposed to say this to anyone, not even my mother. "I care… about you, too."

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Wow, this ended up being really long. But I was hauing fun! I've been thinking, though. I got this awesome writing pad for Christmas and a manga writing program. I was wondering what people thought of a manga version of this? I think it would be fun to draw, but I'd have to find a site post it. Let me know if you have ideas.


	13. Chapter 13

Hello again! Lucky number thirteen! Hope you enjoy!

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What was I doing? I was slowly digging my grave. Surely, I'd be burned alive for this.

Caring for a vampire? Caring for _someone_? At all?

This was _not_ what I did.

I slammed my head against my tree. This bo… vampire was messing with my head. Destroying my emotional boundaries. I hated it. But at the same time, I felt happy.

Happy…. I wasn't supposed to be happy. Ninjas weren't happy.

"Damn it all," I cursed, slamming my bruised hand against the bark and reveling in the ache. Pain was nice. Soothing. Everything else… wasn't.

I looked at my hand against the tree, balled into a fist. My knuckles were rough and torn, as always, and the back of my hand was laced with scares. In any normal person's mind, it was an ugly hand. No smooth skin or pretty nails, just raw flesh.

So why had Edward insisted on holding it?

This made no sense at all. The emotions that played on his face, his actions, nothing. My head was slowly becoming a place that I didn't even know anymore.

I pulled my hand back and opened the palm. There I saw the natural lines all hands had. The lines that Edward's hand had had as well. His hand was more than mine. His was the hand of some glorious being that hailed over others. His was one that deserved to be praised by another glorious hand.

No ninja could ever have glorious hands. Especially not me.

I wasn't glorious in any way. I was rough, unrefined, primitive. I was focused on the morals and actions of an ancient, dead society. I fought and killed for a living. I did what I was supposed to.

Edward wasn't like me. He was perfect, or as perfect as any being could be. While he was vampire, he still fought what he was for the sake of others. I could never give up the ninja lifestyle to protect someone. I wasn't selfless, or caring.

Caring wasn't what I did. I was a fighter, not a lover, as the mainland kids would say.

I sat down and looked up at the sky. Rolling clouds, small breaks with a glimpse of the stars. The same as always. The weather here usually always matched my mood. The never ending, cloudy confusion, with small glimpses at concrete ideas and things.

There were many ways to interpret the image here. The clouds could be my emotions. Intangible to the human touch, but when the clouds broke was when Edward was near. That untouchable part of me was slowly worming its way back to the top.

Maybe my mother was right. Maybe I was too American minded to be a true Atarian ninja. If my emotions were this close to the surface that one simple boy could find them….

Again with the boy, he wasn't a boy. He was vampire.

But he wasn't a boy. Maybe this is what vampires did to us. Their inhumanity brought back our humanity. Maybe it was just Edward and his lifestyle. The way he denied the thirst for human blood, and denied his natural instincts.

"Gahh, this is stupid!" I shouted, temporarily forgetting my dad was asleep inside. I froze, listening to his broken snoring. When it didn't falter, I let my breath out, sighing.

Maybe it was Edward. Or maybe I was just weak.

The same time I thought that, the confident side piped up.

'You aren't weak,' it told me. 'You're the best ninja of your generation. Nothing can stop you.'

Yeah, nothing but a hundred-and-nine-year-old vampire. I may be the best ninja of my generation, but I was nothing against that vampire. He made me want to be caring, and selfless.

But I couldn't be. I couldn't do anything he did. It wasn't what I did.

Changing was out of the question. It was always out of the question. Especially now. Now that I knew someone was out there with an eye on my neck. I had to be alert more than ever.

But I had to wonder why they had never come to Forks. I had only encountered someone in Port Angles, but my mind still told me that the enemy should be here.

Maybe they knew the Cullens were here. Maybe a—what would you call a group of a vampires? A clan? Coven—as big as Edward was scary to other vampires.

Maybe, maybe, maybe. I hated maybes. Maybe meant nothing. Maybe was a factor that had to be extracted. Maybe was the equation you had to eliminate to find the true problem.

But I couldn't see a way to get rid of these maybes. They seemed too wedged into the problems to be taken out. So many questions, so many answers. But none were concrete.

I jumped off the tree, and landed on the ground. Pacing beneath it, I really wished I had a sparring partner right now. Someone I could whack around, and someone to whack me back. I really needed to hit someone right now.

Closing my eyes and leaning against the tree, I sighed. "What have you done to me, Edward Cullen? Why am I thinking these things? Why do I care?"

That last question rang in my head.

Lucky for me, and my lack of sleep, it was the weekend, so I got to sleep in. My dad left early for work, leaving me in my bed like usual. After I finally fell unconscious last night, I just couldn't pry myself out of bed to say goodbye.

I had never been a good sleeper. I had always tossed and turned. Even more so now.

When I finally did get up, it was only because the sun kept flashing in my eyes. Ugh, the sun.

Instinct had me shying away. The sun made people in black very visible. But I soon realized that I was neither on a mission, nor wearing black, so I just got out of bed.

The clock beside me said it was nine in the morning. Not too late. Quickly getting dressed, I thought maybe I could blow some steam in the forest. The thought of running around aimlessly for hours seemed very appealing to me.

I ate breakfast silently, listening to the sounds from outside. Rain was falling softly on the pavement, and wind rustled the trees. The natural sounds of the forest always eased my mind back home, and I took comfort in them here too.

I had almost forgotten about my inner monologue from last night, when the phone's ringer blared through my mind. I almost jumped out of my chair, but quickly composed myself enough to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bella." It was Edward. Figures.

"Hello, Edward." I answered him back.

"Hey, what are you doing today?"

I thought for a minute. Tell him the truth? He already knew about my ninja stuff… "I was going to for a run in the forest."

"Really?"

"Yes, I told you I liked to run, didn't I? That wasn't fudged at all, Edward."

He fell silent for a minute. "Well, how about I meet up with you and we go together?"

I closed my eyes. That was not at all what I needed. That was the last thing I needed. But, then again, it was Edward. How could I say no? Damn this confliction.

"Sure," I muttered, completely unsure of what I wanted.

I could practically hear him smiling. "All right! I'll be over to your house soon." He clicked the phone off.

I set mine down, and bit back a few choice curses. One second, I hate him for making me feel this way, the next, I can't wait for him to show up. Strike that first part. I could never hate Edward. I could hate what he did, but never hate him. Hating Edward would be like…hating the ground I walked on, or the trees I leaped through. All the things that could never turn on me.

Leaning against the refrigerator, I took another deep breath. I hoped that was true: that Edward would never turn on me.

There was a knock at the door, and I walked slowly to get it. I turned the knob and swung the plank out to see Edward smiling softly on my porch.

"Hello, Edward," I greeted. "Would you like to come in?"

He shook his head. "I would, but you said we were going to the forest."

Right…. "Okay," I shrugged. Common courtesy had made me say that. You offered to let a guest in when they arrived. "Well," I said now, grabbing my jacket from the hook, "Shall we be going?"

Edward moved enough to let me out and shut the door, and then he walked with me to the edge of the forest. Just as I was about to take off, he put his hand on my elbow.

"I'm really curious as to how ninja travel in the forest, Bella." His eyes shone true to that statement. He was fascinated with me. Like he shouldn't be.

I smirked, raising my eyebrows. "Oh, it's a fantastic way to travel, Edward. Gives you the best view of the ground, the trees, and the sky."

His smile grew. I turned to face him, and punched his shoulder.

"Well, come on then, Edward. Can't be wasting a beautiful, overcast day, now can we?" I back away and leaped up into the tree closest, landing without a sound. His eyes widened, as he came to stand beneath me.

I shook my head and turned to face my next target, jumping silently over to it, planting one foot and springing of again. Continuing with this, I looked to the ground, seeing Edward following me closely below. Vampires were certainly fast. His feet were blurring a little from my sight.

I sped up, lengthening my stride to allow me time to throw a trick or two before I landed. I heard a burst of laughter from below as I did a full front flip in the air, and couldn't help the smile on my face either.

"You think that's something," I muttered, knowing he'd hear me, "Watch this."

I coiled up on a strong branch, and sprang off for all my legs would give, and twisted my body around several times, feeling like some Chinese acrobat, flipping around on bars. I landed again, and flipped over again, this time, angling my body so I'd land in front of Edward.

However, Edward had said he couldn't read my mind, and I think he was so excited to watch me, he wasn't thinking clearly. So, when I landed in front of him, he didn't stop, and plowed right into me.

We both landed on the ground hard, him on top of me. I blew the grass out of my mouth and blinked. He pushed himself off of me a little, his hands holding him up.

"Well, that backfired," I said, reaching up to push my hair back. "Sorry about that. I thought you'd stop."

"No, I'm the one who should apologize. I ran you over." But he was smiling at me.

I raised my eyebrow. "But I jumped in front of you."

He thought about that for a second, than his head tilted up. Edward jumped off of me, and offered his hand to pull me up. "So, we're both at fault here. May I repay you by showing a special place of mine?"

Narrowing my eyes at him, I shrugged. "I guess so." I mumbled, not sure about this.

He kept my hand, and pulled my through the forest, silently navigating. The walk wasn't that long, maybe a few minutes. But when we finally got there, it seemed like so much longer. Edward had held my hand the whole way, stirring my conflicted feeling again.

I was staring into a brightly lit meadow. Small bundles of flowers were cropping up in the mainland's early spring, the grass was beyond green, and there were too many colors to describe dancing across my vision.

I looked down at my clothes. I had dressed in dark clothes, going for the feel of a mission, so I had expected to be in the sun. If I was back home, I'd never step into the sun wearing this. Then again, I'd never be wearing this.

Sighing, I tried to shove home to the corner of my mind and stepped out into the field, flinching away from the sun. I had heard the rain stop, but I guess I had been the forest for a long time. Too much fun.

I sat down by a rock in the corner, and hid in the shade of it. Looking around, I realized Edward wasn't with me. He was still in the forest, covered by trees. I motioned him over. If I was out here, he was going to be too.

"Come on, Edward. You said the sun didn't burn you." I smirked again. Teasing him seemed to be easier than actually letting myself smile at him.

"Give me a second." He mumbled, staring at his feet.

I fell silent and leaned against the rock, watching him. His body was tense, and his eyes were scared. Of me? For me? I couldn't tell. Damn it all.

Finally, he stepped out. I blinked hard and rubbed my eyes. Clearly, I had inhaled something poisonous last night. Maybe the fumes burning vampire gave off was like a delusional drug.

Because there was no way that Edward was _sparkling_ in real life.

But after several seconds blinking and shaking my head until it hurt, Edward stayed the same. Sparkling in front of me.

How odd.

I stood up and stared at him. "You've got to be kidding me." I walked around him.

"Um…" Edward watched me now, confused by my actions.

"Vampires do not sparkle. Seriously, who came up with that?"

Edward looked around, pressing his mouth together. "I don't know…. But here I am, a vampire sparkling. Can you stop that now? You're freaking me out."

Right. I shrugged and sat down against the rock again. He sat down with me, and stared at me from the corner of his eye.

"So," He started off. "Ninjas travel through trees?"

"Most of us do. It started off as an Atarian thing, because we're the most pursued clan, but several others followed after seeing how effective and safe it was." Since I knew what was coming next, I went on. "Leaping through trees provides us the cover of hiding in the bush, while also pushing up forward to our destination. It's like a moving hiding spot."

"Wow, ninjas sure are… resourceful."

"We kind of have to be," I said, looking over to him. He caught my eyes, and smiled softly. "You never know what you're going to encounter out on the field, so we have to be prepared to do whatever it takes to complete the mission."

He just stared at me for another moment. I noticed the slight crane of his neck and reflexively moved away, my eyes flying out wide. No way… No way was Edward trying to….

"Another thing, Edward." I muttered, standing up and flashing to the other side of the meadow. "We don't feel the same way you do."

His eyes fell, and he stood up too, making a move to come closer, but I shook my head at him and clenched my fists. "You don't feel the same as me…." He whispered, hurt coloring his voice.

Oh, no. He thought I didn't like him. "Not just you. All people on the mainland, Edward. We don't…" I took a breath to collect my thoughts. "Let ourselves feel emotions like you." I clarified, feeling better about that response.

"So," he ignored my earlier warning and came up to me. His eyes were gentle and sincere, and shining with that confusion emotion he always looked at me with. "You don't share your feeling with anyone else?"

"No we don't. But we take it a step further. We get to the point where we don't feel anything at all. We don't _let _ourselves feel. Emotions are a weakness."

That confusing eye thing grew, and I swallowed sharply. "On the contrary, I think emotions are nice." Edward responded, putting one hand on the tree behind me. "They tell you lots of things about yourself. Like how to stay happy, what to avoid to stay happy, and who makes you happy." He leaned closer, his face inches from mine. "Who makes you happy, Bella?"

I stared at him for a moment, frozen in his gaze, and then I deftly ducked under his arm, and scurried away to the other side of the meadow. "I told you, Edward. We don't feel."

He came over to me again. "Oh, I think you do." He put both hands on the tree this time, narrowing my escape paths. "I see in your eyes all the time. You fight it, but it's still there."

"Happiness can get you killed, Edward. I don't feel it." I insisted, moving under his arm again, only to have him catch my elbow.

He turned me around and made me meet his eyes. "Just answer the question. We both know you feel something."

Why was he doing this to me? Emotions weren't right. They weren't the things he talked about. They weren't about happiness. They got you, or someone else, killed.

The confliction was back, and my head ached with it. Emotions were bad, but Edward wanted to know. I didn't want to lie, but I didn't want to admit I felt something. It was wrong, but….

I slammed my fist into the nearest tree, hearing the crack. "Damn it!" I cursed aloud, ducking my head and clenching my eyes shut. "Damn it all, Edward. Why are you doing this to me?" I pulled my hand away from the tree and held my throbbing head. "This isn't right. I can't do this."

Edward pulled a hand away from my head and frowned. "I don't mean to make it painful for you. But you said you were an exile, right?"

Oh, damn you, Edward. Why bring that up? I glared harshly.

"Well, since you can't go back, I thought maybe you needed to start learning how to act normal."

_You can't go back_. I pulled away roughly from him. "What the hell are you saying!" I shouted, my flexed muscles shaking. "I'm going back, Edward."

"But…."

"No, I am. I have to. I can't live here, Edward. This isn't home." I paced around, trying to calm myself. Maybe if I said this enough, it'd come true. "I have to go home, Edward. I will go back."

His eyes were sympathetic. "You're homesick, aren't you?"

I stopped in my tracks. He read all that. I turned to face him. I was sure my face was a mask of internal pain and suffering.

"More than you could possibly imagine." I admitted, biting my lower lip.

He came over and wrapped his arms around me. My heart stopped for a second, and my muscles relaxed, falling limp. Edward was hugging me.

"I know you probably won't tell me, but," He pulled back to look at me. "You're the person that makes me happy."

* * *

Yeah, yeah, bad ending, I know. But I really couldn't help it. This chapter was getting really long. But I enjoyed it. I think if captures the confliction the is Bella right now. And it had a dash of sweet Edwardness.


	14. Chapter 14

Hello again! I actually started writing this when it was light out! I usually just start in the middle of the night when everyone else is asleep. Whoo hoo! Enjoy!

* * *

Normally, I hadn't been one for cursing much. But right now, my inner thoughts were full of them.

Edward had made me sit down again with him against the rock, and after my little rant, it felt good to attempt to relax. The sun bathed the two of us, and my skin felt warm. Warmer than any other part of me….

In the corner of my eye, I saw Edward leaning back, eyes closed with a smile on his face. If I didn't know better, I could swear he was sleeping. He looked so peaceful.

"Bella, do you like the sun?" He asked me, his voice lazy.

I shrugged, and stared at the clear sky. The first clear sky I'd seen since coming here. "It's alright, I suppose." I answered. "But, as a ninja, I don't get out in the sun very much in dark clothing."

"I like the sun," He muttered, eyes still closed. "It almost makes our skin warm and normal."

I shook my head at the irony. Vampires liking sunlight. Now I had heard everything.

"What else do you like, Edward?" I asked, finding myself curious to know more about him. Most of our conversations had been him questioning me or trying to get me to calm down. I only knew the mechanics of his vampirism.

He opened his eyes and shrugged. "Lots of things. A lot of them the same as you. Running, reading, playing piano."

"I didn't know that." I stated, trying to match his lazy position. I don't think I succeeded. "Back home, we don't have many instrument players, so we get a focused source of music. Mostly horns and piano."

"That's why you weren't sure about your favorite music…." He muttered, more as a realization then to me.

I nodded, and picked up a flower from the grass. The flower was nothing like what we had back home, but looking at the bright colors reminded me of the Spring Festival. It would be in a few days, and I would miss it. The Festival was one of my favorite things.

"So, as a vampire," I started again, "What exactly do you do when you're not sleeping?"

"Lots of things. It gives more time to learn languages, histories, read books, and many other things." He told me. "But sometimes, I think it'd be nice to be able to turn my thoughts off for a few hours."

You're telling me…. "I know how that feels. Not even in my sleep can I escape, sometimes."

Edward smiled warmly at me, and something tingled in my chest. I ignored it, and twirled the flower I was holding.

"What's your favorite flower?" Edward asked me randomly.

I blinked and looked at him. "Favorite flower? I, uh…" I don't think I _had_ one. I didn't even know the names of most of them back home, let alone here. "I've never really paid attention to them."

He chuckled and lifted the flower from my palm. "Of course not. A ninja would have no time to stop and smell the roses." His shoulders shook, and that familiar crooked smile played on his mouth. "But, if I'm going to teach you to be normal, you're going to have to learn."

"I never agreed to that, Edward. I don't want to be normal."

He leaned over me, and I frowned. "I didn't ask if you wanted it." His eyebrows shifted, giving him a mischievous look. I frowned deeper at him. "I'm going to teach you anyway."

"Yes, Edward. Because you are _soo_ normal." I added, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

"I'm more normal than you." He poked my arm and leaned away. "I don't carry a knife under my shirt."

"Force of habit, Edward." I growled, taking the knife out, and flipping it over. "And this thing hasn't left my side since I got it. It's my favorite weapon."

"So, you have a favorite weapon, but not a favorite flower?"

I nodded. "I may not have time to 'smell the roses', Edward, but I do have time to admire the metal quality of a blade. This thing is sheer cut, designed for flesh cutting, and bark stripping. Two essentials."

"Of course." He mumbled. "But normal girls don't talk about the quality of knifes. You don't learn very fast."

I took offense to that. "Hey, I was the top student back home. Ahead of my entry class by two years." I held my chin out, jabbing him in the chest with my finger.

"I don't know what that means…" Edward scratched the back of his head, clearly embarrassed by his lack of knowledge.

"An entry class is the class you enter school with. Basically, I skipped a few grades." I tried to put it in 'normal' terms. "You could say I have both exceptional ninja abilities, and an exceptional ninja brain."

"What was school like back home?" Edward asked, completely intrigued now. Damn it. Here I thought his questioning was done.

"Well, it was spilt between field practice and classroom study. Classroom time was where we learned reading, writing, math, sciences, history, the works. And field practice was where we learned to fight, observe, all that ninja stuff. Not exactly a normal school."

"When do you start school?"

"When we're four years old." I answered quickly, thinking back to those days. When I was goofy little kid, confused, surrounded by other confused goofy kids.

"Wow, and you stay in school till you're eighteen?"

"Oh, definitely not!" I shook my head, grimacing at that thought. "We usually graduate after eight years, or so. Most graduates are twelve. Me, however, I was ten."

"So, your leaders send twelve-year-olds into battle?"

"Not right away. We start with small missions around the Capital, and surrounding villages. Like taking care of pests, finding lost items. Just getting the feel for the field, taking orders, teamwork."

"What was your first mission?"

I closed my eyes, grimacing. "I was assigned to help an elderly lady tend to her garden."

The memories of my team flowed back. Lucky, Master Yuju, and Gasher. I winced at saying _his_ name in my head. Edward looked like he was going to ask more, but I held a hand up.

"Can I please not talk about it?" I didn't want the memories here. Not now.

"Okay," He muttered, disappointed, but trying to hide it. "What else can we talk about?"

How about nothing? How about we go back to staring at the grass and the sky?

I shrugged, and stared off, focusing on the sounds of the forest around us. I wanted to sort through my thoughts, but with Edward here, it was hard to do.

Luckily, Edward fell silent too, grabbing my open hand next to him. I frowned when he touched it, but ignored him. I thought back to what he had said earlier. That I made him 'happy'. There was no way I could make someone happy.

As a general rule for the ninja world, we usually brought sadness and hatred, not happiness.

But Edward was completely serious when he told me that.

Who did make me happy? I wondered to myself. There were lots of people I didn't mind being around, but was I happy to be with them?

Lucky was fun to be with, but I don't think I ever felt _happy_ with him. My mother certainly didn't make me _happy_; she just made me feel like punching her most of the time. My dad was alright, but he didn't make me happy either. Master Yuju, The Elders, my old teachers, no one.

Happiness seemed to elude me.

"Edward…" I started, pulling my legs up and folding my arms over my knees. "What does it feel like to be happy?"

He leaned forward to look me in the eye, that foreign emotion in the back of his eyes. "It's like… you can't stop yourself from smiling. You get jittery in your chest, and you always want to jump up and down like a little kid again." His crooked smile came, and I sighed. "Or sometimes, you just can't stop thinking about whatever made you feel happy. It's like a record that's been stuck on the same track forever."

I felt something melt inside me, and tried to squash it down. Looking in Edward's eyes had my head spiraling again.

"Well, I have news for you, Edward." I quirked a smile at him, twitching my eyebrows. "I have no idea what a record is." Then I stopped. "Well, unless we're talking the records people keep to know what happened…."

Edward's laughter graced my ears, and I felt a true smile come to my face. I looked down between us and grabbed his hand.

"Edward," I spoke again, trying to analyze how it felt to say his name. Sure I had said it a million times already, but I didn't _let_ myself feel it. "Thank you. For this."

Edward squeezed my hand. "You don't have to thank me, Bella." His other hand came and took a piece of hair that had fallen into my face. My eyes followed his fingers. "I really like spending time with you."

My eyes trailed back to his face. It was warm and open, and I almost reached out to touch it, to see if _was_ warm. Surely, a vampire's face couldn't be. But maybe….

"You're not jerking away from me…" Edward's voice cut my thoughts in two.

I blinked hard and focused back on him. "What?"

"You're not pulling away from my touch like you usually do. I like it."

I liked it too. But, I wouldn't say that out loud.

His face moved closer, and I steeled my muscles, urging them not to move. I couldn't decide if I wanted Edward to kiss me or if I would rather run. Years of denying my emotions left me in the dark.

I opened my mouth to say something, but then I realized just how close Edward had gotten, and my words flew away. He still had one hand in mine, and other in my hair, stroking the back of my neck slowly. It was like he was scared to frighten me off.

Honestly, I _was_ ready to run off. But my will had always been strong, and I tried to shove those thoughts down.

It became a raging battle in me. Run, or stay? Lean back and delay him, or push forward and meet him half way? My earlier headache was starting to reform itself.

And then, his face connected to mine.

My thoughts were gone in a second. Nothing existed but me and Edward. His lips were cold and solid against mine, but the force behind them was soft and gentle, like I'm sure he wished them to be.

_Kiss him back, idiot_.

I did. And I could have sworn I heard something explode behind me. But I ignored it.

After a few second, my senses returned as Edward pulled away. He looked almost as shocked as I felt. His hand left my hair, and touched my face.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, like he was afraid he'd broken me or something.

"A little better than okay." My words stumbled out, and I had to close my eyes and breathe deeply to get my head back. "How about you?"

"More than a 'little better than okay'," Edward's hand didn't leave my face. "I never imagined I could touch you like this, kiss you, _not_ hurt you."

What? He must have read the look on my face, because his fell. "You remember that first day when you came here, and I gave you the death glare?"

Of course. "Yeah. Threw me off. I couldn't imagine what you had going on in your head. But I was a little more concerned with the face I wanted to kill you."

"Me too." Edward looked ashamed now. "When you walked into that classroom, Bella, the scent you gave off drove my blood thirst mad. I contemplated killing everyone in the that room, and sucking your blood dry."

I imagined that. "Well, you'd have been in for a fight."

His smile returned. "I know that now. And it almost makes sense as to why you smell so much better than everyone else."

I tilted my head up, thinking. I knew nothing about vampire senses, so I was lost.

"I can't explain it. It was awful, those first few days where I was so conflicted about killing an innocent girl. I didn't want to, but it was hard to deny it."

I closed my eyes. _It was hard to deny it, wasn't it?_ Voices rang in my head. I shoved it back, focusing on Edward.

"But, you seemed so comfortable around me."

"After you asked me to be your friend." Edward pulled my other hand to his and shifted through my fingers. "After that, I decided I would be your friend. Mostly, because there was something different about you, and I wanted to know. But also because you looked like you could use a friend."

I almost smiled at him. But it didn't turn out right, again, and I dropped it.

"But, then I felt myself… falling for you. And I couldn't help but crave your company again. And again. The second after you'd leave, I'd want to run after you and make you stay near me." Edward paused and looked up at me. "It was the most terrifying experience of my life."

"Edward…." I mumbled. "I was so confused by you. Just trying to think about you kept me up for hours. I was always angry with myself for thinking about you." I stopped, my voice shaking slightly. "You think what you had to go through was terrifying? Try growing up in a place where you were taught not to feel. I've never been so focused on figuring something out, Edward, because everything else has come easy to me."

Edward's eyes were far away again, replaying my words in his head. I frowned, and ducked my head down. Bearing my soul was heavy work.

I watched Edward as he continued to think. He almost looked like he was struggling with something. Like he was scared to say something. I was almost afraid to hear it.

After all, he had said he'd _fallen _for me.

And we all know that couldn't be good.

* * *

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Ah, shot of bottle rockets to ring it in, and then finished this chapter! WHooT! But now, I have a small problem. I know where this story is going, and I have the books all lined out and how they'd be transfered to ninjanese. But, I don't know whether I should separate the stories and post them apart, or if I should just put them all under the same title. If there's any specific format you want, let me know. But for now, enjoy the new year, and I'll see you next time. Er... I won't actually see you... Nevermind.


	15. Chapter 15

So, I finally bought Hush, Hush and started reading it. It's pretty dang good. The problem is, I'm putting of an assignment I had over break to read it! Ugh, curse you AP Lit! Eh, I'll get it done later. Like Monday night before I start semester! But anyway, who wants some ninja? I bet you guys do! Here's ya go!

* * *

Edward and I walked through the forest, him grasping my hand as I were about to fall off a cliff. He had taken one look at the sky and agreed with me that I needed to get back to the house before Charlie asked any questions.

My vampire companion still had that look on his face. The one that made me scared to start a conversation for fear of what he'd say. And how I could possibly crush his immortal heart.

I wondered about all of this. I mean, Edward had _kissed_ me. More importantly, I had kissed him back. Here, I had no idea what that meant. Back home, it would mean Edward and I were taking things beyond what ninjas would normally go.

Arggh! I mentally punched myself. Why was this so hard? Edward wasn't making a big deal about it at all. I wanted to ask him, but I didn't really want to look like an idiot.

_Now, that's stupid_. I thought to myself. I can't look more oblivious if I tried. I'm completely ignorant of the customs on the mainland. I was about to open my mouth and ask him, but we arrived at my house, and I lost it again.

When Edward reached under the matt and grabbed the spare key, I eyed him. He turned to me after unlocking the door with a sheepish grin.

"You were watching me, weren't you?" I folded my arms and joked with him.

If blood had flowed through his veins, his face would have been so red, I'd have thought he was going to explode. "Yes. Sorry…."

I laughed lightly, shaking my head. Reaching out, I punched him in the shoulder, earning a true smile. "Maybe you do descend from ninja." I teased him, stepping into the building. "Spying is something we excel at."

I motioned him in after me, and took my jacket off, hanging it up. Walking into the kitchen, I started combining several ingredients into a bowl, and stirred it up. Edward came over and hovered above my shoulder.

"What in the world are you making?"

I shrugged and took a bite of my mixture. Meat, a couple vegetables, the leftover gravy in the fridge, and a couple other things I'd found lying about. "I have no idea. But, it's pretty good."

Edward eyed me as if he thought I was crazy. Then again, he already knew me to be a little crazy.

"You know what I'm going to do, Edward?" I leaned against the counter and smirked at him.

"No," he answered quickly. "I said I couldn't read your mind, right?"

"Yeah, yeah." I waved that off. "If you're going to teach me the ways of the normal people, I'm going to teach you the way of the ninja." Curiosity burned behind Edward's face, and I laughed lightly. "It's bound to be more fun than normal, anyway."

"Can't wait." He muttered, stepping closer.

I couldn't help it. I turned my head away. I watched Edward's face fall, and guilt washed through me.

"Sorry, Edward." I mumbled squeezing my eyes shut. "It's still hard, you know. I'm trying."

He nodded, and leaned on the counter next to me. "I understand. I don't mean to push."

Now seemed like as good a time as any to ask him. I cleared my throat and stared at my wet sneakers. "So, uh, what exactly are _we_?"

"What do you mean?" Edward asked me, trying to catch my gaze. I avoided his.

"I mean… well, back in the clearing, you… _kissed_ me." I struggled to say this aloud. My emotions kept getting in the way. "Back home, that would have meant we were in a special relationship. I'm…" I trailed off, not able to finish my sentence.

Talk about awkward. Relationships had never, ever been my strong point. In school, I always had only two or three friends, and not even they could stand me all the time. I usually did something to anger them constantly. Talking about it now made my palms sweat.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'd like to think we have a special relationship. I mean, we're a vampire and a ninja, together." He scratched his cheek. "Um, unless you don't want to be _together._"

"Well, of course we're together, Edward. We're standing right next to each other. In the same room and everything." What strange phrasing on his part.

Edward shook his head. "Not like that together_._ Like, _together,_ together. As in with each other."

I stared at him blankly. "Isn't that what I just said?"

Edward slapped his forehead, and chuckled. "No, like…" He shut his eyes and took a breath. "I can't find the words to describe it to you." But he laid his hand on my shoulder, close to my throat and gave me that odd look. "But I lo-"

I jumped away and turned on the water facet, trying to make as much noise as possible. I couldn't hear _those_ words. I would surely be charred alive then.

But worse, I didn't want Edward to say them, because I probably wouldn't be able to say them back.

Edward looked at me, hurt by my interruption. I looked around awkwardly, looking for anything to change to subject. Nothing. Stupid boring human room.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked, stepping up in front of me again.

I swallowed harshly, biting my tongue. "Totally, Edward." I said, making my face susceptible to the lie, to try and show I couldn't talk about it.

It worked. He dropped it.

"So," Edward moved away and sat in one of the dining chairs. "Since we're _together_, what would say to meeting my family?"

I had picked up my bowl and was about to scoop another spoonful into my mouth when he said this. Nearly dropping my spoon, I coughed, and set it down again.

"Is that such a good idea?" I asked, my voice a little higher than usual.

"Do you not want to go?" Edward asked, shifting to a more relaxed position. "I just thought my family would really like to see who I'm going to spend most of my time with."

I walked over to the cabinet and started a pot of tea. I was stalling for an answer. Family meant parents. Parents equaled evaluation. Evaluation equaled… places I didn't want to go.

"I don't know, Edward." I urged the kettle to whistle. Anything to distract him. "Would they even like me?"

"Of course they would!" Edward grinned widely at me.

"I'm not so sure. I'm not exactly someone a lot of people like."

"No, they'll love you!" He insisted, making a move to stand. I motioned him back down, and sat across the table from him.

"How can you be sure? I mean, I'm no where near similar to you. And I'm not some outstanding citizen. I'm not even American. Not really."

"They won't care." He smiled again at me.

He was positive about this. Then again, he did read minds.

"Edward, back home, meeting parents means…" I swallowed deeper.

Ugh, why was this so hard? I'd snapped necks, stopped flaming boulders, fallen from cliffs, but nothing was as hard as conveying your emotions to someone else.

"Means…?" Edward inquired, trying to get me to continue.

I clenched and unclenched my fists nervously. "It means that you're planning on… spending your life with that person." I choked out, the words burning my throat.

The tea whistle finally, and I jumped up, turning my back to Edward and finished my drink, downing half the cup in one gulp.

"So this isn't about them liking you?"

"No, it is. Just not completely." I muttered, barely audible to untrained ears.

Edward came up behind me, and wrapped his arms around me. I stiffed reflexively, gripping my tea hard.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you're here. Here, meeting the parents could mean several things. It's pretty casual." He paused for a moment. "And normal."

Normal. I frowned at the word.

"Alright," I sighed, relaxing against Edward. "I'll go. But if I start acting weird…" That earned me a fit of laughter from him. I waited for him to finish before continuing. "Weirder, I should say. If I start freaking out, just lock me in a random room alone for a few minutes. That usually helps."

Edward spun me around and gave me a confused look. I shook my head, smiling slightly. "You're supposed to laugh, Edward. It was joke."

He blinked, then tilted his head in a shrug. "Note to self: work on Bella's sense of humor."

I punched him in the shoulder again, narrowing my eyes. "Anyone back home would have gotten it."

From the second I woke up in my tree the next morning, my nerves were on edge. I was meeting Edward's parents. The part the teachers and Elders had drilled with ninja customs cried that this wasn't right. But the part that wanted to spend more time with Edward practically begged to go.

A headache was forming again, so I slammed my head against the bark. Walking back in, I tried to put something nice on, but all I had were the simple clothes I'd bought back in Port Angles a few weeks ago.

While in my closet, however, my eyes caught my ninja garb hanging there, and my heart ached again. I touched the fabric, feeling the fibers between my fingers. The uniform was fairly new, but showed small signs of the battle it had seen. A barely visible smudge of dried blood on the shoulder, a small tear at the end of the left sleeve.

_One day_, I swore again. _One day soon, I'll return._

There was a knock at my door, and my thoughts were jolted away. The nervousness returned, and I walked downstairs to find Edward behind my front door. Not that I expected anyone else.

"Are you ready to go?" He smiled brightly, matching the sun behind him.

I nodded. "As ready as I could be, anyway."

He had his shiny Volvo-thing parked where my dad's car usually was. I frowned at that. I had told my dad last night about Edward and I spending time together, and he had jumped on my case. Something about him 'too old'.

The drive to his house wasn't too long. But he lived in a remote area, set deep into the forest. The road there was winding, and parts were unpaved.

He stopped in front a large garage, and motioned out the window. "Well, there it is." He said, jumping out and grabbing my door. "My house."

I stared at it. It was huge. It was almost twice as big as my dad's house. "Wow." I muttered, staring up at it. "It looks like the Capital's Central HQ. Only I think the HQ is a little bit wider." I said aloud.

Edward grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the door while I gawked at his house. He stopped just outside the door, and gave me another look.

"Positive you're ready?"

I shook my head, and stared at him.

He grinned and opened the door anyway.

* * *

I meant to stop somewhere further along, but I made a last minute, small plot change. The turning point will be coming soon. I'm excited!


	16. Chapter 16

The inside of the house was as grand, if not more grand, than the outside. From what I could see through the doorway, the house was furnished with the best stuff you could find.

At the doorway, however, I stood, afraid to walk in. Edward stood the other side of the door, and waited for me. After several minutes of this, he just pulled me inside and shut the door.

When the door clicked into its place, there were four vampires standing in front of me. They're sudden arrival set me on edge, and I felt my muscles tense.

"Hey, relax. They're not going to attack you." Edward whispered into my ear.

I didn't relax. This was no time for relaxing.

I scanned the vampires. I recognized Alice and Jasper from school and the several times Alice had talked to me. The other two were obviously older, so I assumed they were Edward's 'parents'.

"Bella, this is my mother, Esme." Edward introduced, motioning toward her.

Esme came over and took me into a hug. My body was already tense, and the only that kept my instincts from activating was Edward holding my hand. But, that didn't stop my eyes from bugging out of my head.

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you, Bella." Esme said, pulling back and setting her hands on my shoulders. She had a kind motherly face, or what I assumed to be motherly, since I had never really known what 'motherly' was supposed to look like. "Edward has told us so much about you."

I tried to smile warmly at her, but, as usual, my face cracked, and I probably looked demented. "It's nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Cullen." I replied, trying to remember how to be polite.

"Oh, please, Bella, you can call me Esme."

No, I couldn't. That wouldn't be proper. But I refrained from saying that out loud. I just nodded and she stepped back.

The other vampire, the male one, stepped up next, standing beside Esme. Edward leaned over again and said, "This is my father, Carlisle. He's a doctor at the local hospital."

Carlisle stuck his hand out, and remembering when Alice did this to me, I shook it. He smiled at me, and greeted me in the same way as Esme.

"You already know Alice and Jasper from school." Edward said, gesturing to them too. He looked around the room, and turned to his mother. "Where's Emmett and Rosalie?" He paused then turned around, alert. "No, Emmett-"

I heard the wind splitting before Edward turned. I ducked down as the sound crept over my head, and reached back, grabbing what felt like an arm. Out of reflex, I twisted hard and flipped whoever it was against the wall. There was loud crash, and I jumped back, sliding down into a fighting stance.

I heard a deep, booming laugh, and glanced at Edward. "I apologize for my brother's childish behavior." He smiled sheepishly at me.

"Oh, boy!" The vampire I assumed to be Emmett came over in front of us. "I like this girl, Edward. She can scrap, can't she?"

I raised my eyebrows at Emmett. "Scraping is for dogs, you know." I commented, trying to appear nonchalant. "And ninjas try to avoid 'scraps' as you call them."

Emmett laughed again, throwing his head back. "I'm Emmett, by the way. In case you didn't know who was jumping at you from behind."

I nodded at him. "Nice to meet you, Emmett." I looked back behind him, suddenly worried about the damage I'd probably caused. I winced when I saw the overturned couch and table. I turned back to Esme, "I'm sorry about your living room."

"Oh, no, it's no problem." She smiled sweetly at me. "It's this one's fault anyway," she said, grabbing Emmett's sleeve. "If he didn't act like a twelve-year-old…."

Emmett just shrugged. "Hey, Rose, you can come in now."

I heard feet shuffling behind me, and turned to find Rosalie standing there. I'd received a few glares at school from her, but I was good at ignoring such things. She was glaring at me now.

"Hello, Rosalie." I tried to say in my most friendly voice.

"You threw Emmett into a wall."

Um…. "I'm sorry about that." I knew Rosalie had some vampiric claim over Emmett, so she probably didn't enjoy my tossing him like a stick.

"Rose, come on, lighten up." Emmett said, coming to stand beside her. "In her defense, I did come out of nowhere."

Rosalie glared again, and I tried to give her a neutral glance in return. She stepped up, into my face, and I naturally tensed my muscles, letting go of Edward's hand and clenching my fists.

"Look here, _Bella_," She literally spat my name. "I don't want you coming in here and destroying my home and my family."

"That really wasn't the plan," I narrowed my eyes at her. "Why would I come here to destroy another person's life?"

Rosalie's stiff posture softened a little. Mine didn't. Even though most of Edward's family were completely harmless, by choice I'm adding, they were still vampires. And Rosalie was in my face.

"I'm just warning you." She said.

I nodded, like I would to an equal class ninja. "Message received and understood." My voice was stiff, and it was like I was talking to my mother again.

She back off after that, and looked me over. I didn't like it. Emmett sighed, and grabbed Rosalie's elbow. "C'mon, Rose. Why don't we go work on your BMW?" He pulled her off before the two of us could start throwing punches.

Edward touched my elbow, and I turned to face him. "You okay?"

I breathed deeply, and tried to relax my muscles. "Yeah, I'm fine." I finally answered.

"Don't mind Rosalie." He said, pulling me toward some other room. "She's a little upset over this."

"So I gathered." I muttered. I noticed the other vampires had left with Rosalie, going about their own things.

"Would you like a tour, Bella?" Edward grinned at me, sweeping an arm out.

I smirked back, and nodded. "Absolutely."

Edward took my hand again, and led me toward a large staircase. "On the left over there is the kitchen. You just saw the living room. And up the stairs are our bedrooms." He pulled me up them, and we arrived in a wide hallway. Rooms lined the hallways, all the doors closed.

"Wow, this place really is HQ all over again." I muttered, touching the walls.

"Your ninja headquarters is only three stories tall?" Edward leaned against the opposite wall.

"And several stories deep into the ground." I said simply. "Anything above the ground is easy for enemies to attack."

Edward shrugged, taking that in. "Well, this is Emmett and Rosalie's room. At the end of the hallway is Alice and Jasper's. Across the hall from Emmett and Rosalie is Carlisle's study. And up one more flight of stairs is my room."

"You have a whole floor to yourself?"

He nodded. "Do you want to see it?" He smiled widely, as if he couldn't wait to show me anyway.

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

He dragged me up the stairs, again, and opened the door to his room.

I stepped inside after him, gawking at the space. One wall was lined with shelf after shelf of books, what I had come to know as CD's, and what Edward described as a 'record'. The opposite wall was lined with a large couch and several tables with journals strewn about. The final wall was made entirely of glass, looking out over the forest.

I walked over to the pile of journals and picked the top one up. "What are these for?" I flipped open the front cover.

"Oh, just what I've been doing ever since the change. You can read them if you want, but they're rather boring." Edward said, moving to sit on the couch.

I sat next to him, flipping through the pages. Dates lined the pages, followed by a paragraph or two of text. "It looks similar to our mission logs." I noticed, setting it back where it came from.

Edward smiled, and leaned against me. I had to force myself not to tense up again. "But, I bet your logs aren't that boring."

"Oh, I bet they are." I rolled my eyes. "Mostly, we just write about our assignments and if there were any casualties. Not exciting."

Edward turned his head up to look at me. "I'd like to read one."

I smirked. "Maybe. I could give you my most current one. It's got all my war assignments in it."

Sinking down into the couch, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. This wasn't as bad as I thought, being in Edward's house.

"You know, my family adores you." Edward muttered, breaking my thoughts apart.

I almost laughed at that. "Yeah, I just bet they do."

"No, really, Bella. My mother would be happy to meet you if you had three heads and furry feet. Emmett's excited to have a human around, especially one who can flip him over her back and destroy the living room. Alice already adored you from the moment she saw I was going to end up with you. And Carlisle is just happy I found someone. His viewpoint is much similar to Esme's."

I frowned. "And the other two? Jasper and Rosalie?"

"Jasper isn't as… controlled as the rest of us. His thirst still drives him mad, and he doesn't want to injure you." I scoffed at that. "I know, Bella, but he would still feel bad. And Rosalie will warm up to you, as soon as she realizes you pose no threat to us."

"Why in the world would she think that anyway?"

"Well," Edward sighed, and shook his head. "Now that we're spending time together, if I were to 'slip' and accidentally drink your blood," he shuddered, "all eyes would be on us. We'd be exposed."

Ah, okay. I would just have to show Rosalie I could take of myself, and Edward had no problems being around me, and it would all be good.

For the rest of the morning, Edward and I talked, just like we had been yesterday. I tried to avoid all relationship talk, and Edward honored my wishes. Edward played a few of his old records for me, and I tried to act like this music playing machine was normal.

A few hours later, Edward smiled at me. "I hope you don't mind, but my family has taken it upon themselves to make you lunch."

"Vampires cooking? And I thought the craziness ended when you said you liked the sun." I smirked sarcastically. But I was starving, so I followed Edward downstairs.


	17. Chapter 17

Whoo! Three chapters in three days! Last chapter was kinda fillerish. But this one, I think, will be better. Enjoy!

* * *

I was sitting on Edward's porch steps, watching him and his brothers decide what sport they were going to play tomorrow. Apparently, there was a big storm coming and that was the only time they could play.

It had been almost a week since I had first come to this house, and in that time, I'd come to be almost as familiar with it as I was with my house back home. Edward was right, the Cullens did adore me. Everyday when I got to school, Alice would run up to me and practically beg me to come over again.

My ears twitched with the sound of soft footsteps behind me. Speaking of Alice. "Hello, Bella!" Alice said, bounding over to sit beside me.

I looked over to her, and smiled. That was getting a lot easier. The more time I spent with Edward the easier showing emotions was. But then, the more conflicted I was. Ninja custom was still drilled into my head, and it was hard to go against it.

"Hello, Alice." I greeted back.

"So, are you going to come watch the game tomorrow?" Alice asked me. Not that she had to really ask.

"You tell me, Soothsayer." I turned back to watch the boys again.

"Yes, you're coming!" Alice giggled.

"What are they going to play anyway?" I asked, still confused what that oblong ball was for. And the misshapen stick.

"Looks like baseball, but it's still unclear." Alice smiled as Jasper turned to look over at us.

"I have no idea what baseball is, Alice."

There was collective gasp from the four vampires outside, and they all crowded in on me. I climbed another stair up, trying to space myself.

"You don't know what _baseball _is!" Emmett shouted, rattling my eardrums.

I rubbed my ear. "No. We don't play _baseball_ in the Capital."

Emmett grinned. "How about football?"

I gave him a blank look for an answer.

Jasper gave his brother a shut-up-you're-too-loud look. "What sports do you play?" he asked, at much nicer decibel level.

"We have a yearly tournament of Hedgerunner." I said. "The whole clan comes in to watch that." I grinned, thinking about it. "It's the best game in the world."

Now Emmett was excited again. "How do you play?"

I stood up and stepped out into the yard, picking up the small, knitted ball. "We have a small, wooden ball, about this size and a large field lined with trees, hedges, rocks, and a few water holes. You and seven others have to take this ball, and hit one of three posts on opposite ends of the field. The catch is, you have another team against you, and technically, there is only one rule. Don't let the ball touch the ground."

"That sounds awesome!" Emmett boomed again, shaking my brain.

"Oh, it is!" I responded, getting excited now. I tossed the ball up and caught it. "My team has won every tournament since we met the age requirements."

Edward came over and took the ball. "Emmett wants to see how fast you can catch a ball when he throws it. Do you mind?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Emmett better throw pretty hard." I smirked. "I can catch _anything_."

Edward chuckled and handed his brother the ball. Emmett lined up his throw. Over handed, massive power behind it, angled upward at about a forty degree angle. I bent my knees, and readied myself.

"Ready, Bella?" Emmett asked, sounding smug.

"Fire one," I whispered, knowing he'd hear me.

Emmett launched the ball into the air. It soared far above my head, with no sign of cresting soon. I took off toward the woods it was going toward, not taking my eyes off it. The ball was within jumping range, so when I reached the first outlying tree, I planted both feet, sprang up, and flipped onto a high branch. I propelled myself up and forward, meeting the ball just before it reached its downward descend.

Looking down, I saw the ground was several yards away. I angled my body to land on my feet, and when I felt the ground beneath my thick-soled sneakers, I pitched forward, rolling to take the impact off.

There was a holler and loud cheering as I ran back. When I a few feet away from Emmett, I drew my throwing arm back and shot it toward his face. Alice shot her arm up and caught it before it hit, and grinned at me.

"That, Emmett, is what a true athlete is able to do." I grinned sarcastically at him.

Alice raised her arm up, like a student in class or something, and said, "Bella is on my team tomorrow!"

Jasper grinned. "That would make for even teams. Esme could even play."

Edward stood behind the group, frowning. He hadn't said anything while I was showing off. He didn't even cheer. He met my eyes and I tried to read him. It seemed as if… he didn't want me to play?

He looked away, and I turned back to Alice. "But Alice, I still don't know how to play baseball."

Emmett turned around and dragged Edward up into our group. "What kind of boyfriend are you, little brother?" He asked playfully. "No guy should let their girlfriend go through life without knowing how to swing a bat."

Edward glared lightly at Edward. I was more preoccupied on Emmett's phrasing. Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Where those relative terms to 'being together' with Edward? I'd ask him about it later.

Emmett went over to the stockpile of sports equipment and pulled out a metal bat. He tossed it to Edward, and Edward caught it with ease. He winked at me, then grabbed Alice and Jasper by the sleeves, leading them inside. "We'll leave you two alone, now."

I blinked after them. What? I turned to Edward.

Edward laughed lightly and handed me the bat. I took it toward the bottom, where there were grips and the stick was thinner. It wasn't too heavy, about the weight of an iron katana.

"No, no." Edward muttered, coming closer and laying his hands over mine. "Don't hold it like a sword. It's a bat. Twist your wrist like this," he muttered several more instructions and moved my hands to match those.

"Edward, how in the world am I supposed to do anything with my hands like this? They aren't locked and the opponent could easily trip them up."

Edward chuckled and shook his head. "Relax, Bella." He smiled at me, and I felt a smile coming on my face too. "No opponent is going to attack you when you're holding a bat." Then he paused. "Well, in a baseball game no one will."

"So what do I do with this, if it isn't a weapon?" I slung it over my shoulder and frowned playfully at him.

"You hit the baseball with it." Edward lifted the bat off my shoulder, and tossed me the baseball I'd caught earlier. "Step back a few feet and toss this to me and I'll show you."

I did as he asked. Edward crouched down, holding the bat above one shoulder, arms tensed, and his eyes glued on the ball in my hand. He nodded at me and I knew he was ready. I reeled my arm back and shot the ball forward.

There was ringing _crack_ that made me wince, and the air split around the ball as it soared into the forest. I watched it until it fell behind the tree line, then I turned back to Edward.

Edward gave me a smug look. "And that's what you do with this bat." I came over, and he gave me back the bat. "Think you can try a swing or two?"

"It doesn't look that hard." I scoffed, lining up where he had been before. "Give me your best shot, vampire-boy."

The smug look grew, and Edward dashed into the forest to retrieve his ball. He was back in an instant, and lined up to throw me the ball. I copied his posture from before, and found the ball in his hand.

"Ready?" He asked, shifting his arm back. I gave a short nod back, and suddenly, the ball was flying toward me. When it crossed into the arc I had already calculated, I threw my arms forward, swinging the bat flat across the ball.

The bat vibrated in my hands, and I dropped it, shaking them out. Edward came over and stared at me.

"Are you okay?" He asked, grabbing my wrists and turning my hands.

"Yeah, fine." I answered. "The vibration of the bat startled me. I didn't think it would do that."

Edward grinned up at me. "On the bright side, Bella, you just hit your first baseball!"

I smacked Edward over the head, gently, just enough for him to know I thought he was being an idiot. "So, I'm in for the game tomorrow?" I asked with a smirk.

It was raining hard as Edward drove us out to the field. I had wanted to run there, like his family had, but he insisted we take this monster car. Something about carrying the supplies, and me not getting sick. Whatever.

Edward had gone over the rules of baseball with me. Four bases I had to run around, catch the ball when I was in outfield. Not too complicated. But it didn't seem nearly as fun as Hedgerunner.

When we finally got close to the field, Edward pulled off the already nonexistent path and shut the monster car off. He ran around back to fetch supplies while I walked out onto the field.

It was huge, at least as big as our lake training area back home. But here it was all grass. There was distant roar of a waterfall, but other than that, it was fairly quiet.

The Cullens were gathered in the center of the field, obviously waiting for us. When Edward came out with the stuff, everyone but me and Alice began laying the field out. The two of us leaned against the tree line and watched them.

"So, Bella, are you excited?" Alice asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah, I am." I answered back to her. "Am I still on your team?"

Alice bobbed her head up and down. "Yep! You, me, Jasper, and Carlisle are on the same team, then Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, and Esme are on the other."

Emmett shouted from the other side of field, "I still say you're hogging the human, Alice!"

"Well, it's a good thing I don't care what you say, Emmett." Alice answered in a normal tone. Or as normal as Alice's tone ever got.

I scoffed. "Are all vampires a little crazy?" I joked with Alice.

She laughed and pulled me toward the field. "It's game time!" Alice shouted out leaving me behind a base while she went to the center of the 'diamond'. She turned back to me, "You're covering this side of the field. Basically, catch the ball, and tag the runner out if you can."

I nodded. "Alright." Time to get on my game face.

The first batter was Emmett. He stepped up, pointed the bat my direction, and swung back behind him.

Alice threw the ball toward him, and Emmett hit it hard, sending that awful ringing across the field. The ball soared over my head, and I took off after it. I leaped up from the grass to catch it, landed, and threw it back toward Emmett.

The game continued like this. Me, Jasper, and Carlisle sprinting into the forest, and all over the field to get the ball and tag someone out. I have to say, it was a lot fun. It was nice to stretch my muscles out after being here for so long. I made a mental note to coax the Cullens into doing this a lot more often.

Finally, it was my team's turn to bat. Alice elected that I go first, so I stepped up to the plate. I slung the bat over my shoulder, and smirked at Edward. He was pitching again.

"Come on, vampire-boy, hit me with your best throw."

Edward wound up the pitch, and the ball came at me like a flying knife. I waited for it come closer, and whacked it for all my arms' worth. I threw the bat down, and took off around the bases. I reached second before they got the ball back.

Now Alice was up to bat. She stepped up, and watched the pitch with confidence. Edward threw the ball, but when it came into striking range, Alice's face went blank. I'd come to know that meant it was vision time.

We all ran in, curious as to what it was.

Edward drew in a breath. "Who _is_ that? He doesn't look familiar."

"What do you see, Alice?" Carlisle asked, much less cryptic than Edward.

"There's someone coming. He doesn't look like a vampire, but he's probably not a normal human." Alice's face turned to me. "A ninja, maybe?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on me. "Well, what does he look like?" I asked.

But Alice didn't have to answer anymore. I felt the presence of the other person.

Familiar, friendly, and scared out of his mind.

We turned as a group to face the other side of the field. I had to blink hard to prove that I was seeing who I was seeing.

"Bella, we have an issue." He said, running over to me.

"Lucky?" I stared at him as he crossed the field. "What are you doing here?"

* * *

I actually hadn't planned to have them reach the baseball field before Lucky showed up. But I thought Grabs, with so much about to happen, Bella deserves a nice game of baseball. =)


	18. Chapter 18

Lucky is back! Whoo! Personally, I have been waiting to write this scene FOREVER! I love Lucky. LOL, anyway, I'm trying to get as far in this story as I can before I have to do a bunch of homework again. Beh, but it sure makes a lot of people happy. =D

* * *

My best friend, someone I hadn't seen in nearly a month, stood in front of me. His hair was sticking to his forehead, and his eyes were wild.

"Lucky!" I stepped forward, my expression matching his. "What are you doing here?"

Suddenly, Lucky was hugging me tightly. I stiffened, and pushed him back. "Lucky!" I shouted, trying to get him to snap out of it. "What are you doing here?" I asked again.

"We, uh, have a problem back home." He stuttered out, his shoulders hunched up near his ears.

"That doesn't explain why you're here, Lucky." I turned my face away. "And besides, even if there is a problem, I'm exiled. It's not… my problem anymore." I whispered the last part, and felt a cold hand on my shoulder. Edward's way of silently comforting me.

Lucky shifted his weight nervously. Clearly this was something frightening. "It's…"

I frowned at Lucky and looked back to the Cullens. They were all watching us with concern and a little bit of edge. I sighed, and turned toward them. "Guys," I started off. "This is Lucky Delmonty, my best friend and comrade back on the island." I turned my head toward Lucky. "Lucky, these are the Cullens." And I named them off.

Lucky's face went from scared to surprised. "They aren't… human? They don't feel human."

"They aren't, Lucky." I caught Edward's gaze. "They're vampires."

"Vampires!" Lucky shouted, jumping back several feet and pulling a knife out. I almost smirked at Edward. "Vampires are supposed to be dead!"

"Apparently, they made a rebound after the Mainlandic Wars." I explained. Edward and I hadn't really discussed that yet. "But that's not the point, Lucky. You were telling me something?"

"Oh, yes!" He jumped back to the important subject. "The Ponta army is marching in on the Capital."

Now it was time for me to be surprised. "What? What is my mother doing!" I clenched my fists in anger with her. I knew me leaving was a bad idea. "She's being stubborn again, isn't she! To have let the enemy get so close!"

"Bella, no, she's not being stubborn. Not exactly…." Lucky trailed off.

"Then what, Lucky?" I stepped closer to him, anger coating my voice. "Has she gotten all our troops killed?"

"No, no, nothing that bad." He shook his head. "She's been… uh, I don't know how to say this…."

"She's been killed?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"No," Edward came up beside me. "She's been kidnapped."

I think my heart actually stopped. I almost fell to the ground, but my tense muscles kept me upright. "What!" I whipped my head to Edward then back to Lucky. "How!"

"Well, it was routine village purge." Lucky scratched the back of his. "We were ridding our villagers of infiltrating Ponta and your mom went into an underground tunnel to inspect it and… didn't come out."

"She's been taking by the Ponta!" I shouted, shoving my palm into my forehead. "Of all the idiot things to do, Mom…!"

Edward gave me a concerned glance. "What are you going to do?"

I shook my head. "I don't know." I covered my face with my hand, and pushed my anger back. "Do you know where she is, Lucky?"

"Well, the trackers have an idea, but the last party we sent out came back in pieces." Lucky's voice took on mourning, and his face dropped.

"Who did you send?"

"Lagoon's team."

"Lagoon? He's our best tracker! And as tough as they come."

"That's what we thought." Lucky looked up at me. "You need to come back, Bella."

I looked over to Edward, and his face held as much pain as I was feeling now. "I can't, Lucky. I want to, but I can't. I'm exiled."

"We need a leader, Bella!" Lucky pushed my shoulder back, making me stumble slightly. "You're second in command of the Atarian army! You're the only one who can make us pull through this coming attack!"

I turned my face away. "I can't go against orders, Lucky."

"Bella," Edward piped up again. "Your mother needs your help." His voice was gentle and soothing. Just like it always was when I was fighting with what I had to do.

I looked up to Edward, and Edward smiled without it touching his eyes and gently laid his hand on my cheek.

"Where do they think my mother is at?" I asked Lucky, resolution coming to my voice. I looked up, feeling the usual confidence swell in me.

"The party we sent was dispatched to Mt. Kuroso."

That solved everything. I nodded to Lucky. "Did you bring a boat in?"

Lucky nodded, "of course. My cousin is waiting for us at the dock near the American port."

"Head back and tell him we will arrive soon." I ordered Lucky.

Lucky saluted stiffly, grinning at me with pride. "Aye, aye, Captain Bella." And he took off.

I turned to Edward. "I have to go."

"I know." He frowned and looked at the ground. "So, I guess this is… goodbye?"

I was about to say yes. Then something occurred to me. "You know, I'm sure my side could do with a few more skilled fighters, even if they are vampires." I pulled his chin up and forced him to look at me.

His face instantly brightened. He looked toward the field, "Alice, Jasper, do you want to come?"

The response was instant. They both chimed in with a yes. I heard Emmett protest, but I told him the boat wouldn't fit any more people. Next time, I promised him.

"Edward, Alice, Jasper," I spoke loud and clear, as if I were already speaking to my mother's troops. "Go back your house and pack whatever you think you might need. Meet me in Port Angles on the boardwalk." The three nodded and took off.

I turned around and looked at the other Cullens. Esme came over and hugged me tightly. "Good luck, Bella. I hope you succeed over there."

I nodded curtly. This was no time to get emotional. It was really game time now.

Carlisle was up next. "I wish you the best of luck, Bella. Come home with the others safely."

No hug. Good. I nodded and gave him my most confident smirk. "Of course, Dr. Cullen."

Emmett came over and patted me on the head. "Take care of my brothers, would you?" He laughed. "They can get rough in a fight."

I nodded at him. "Message received."

I looked over to Rosalie. She just stared back at me. It almost looked like she was shocked or something. I nodded to her. "Farewell for now, Rosalie." I said formally, turning to go the way of my house.

"Wait!" Rosalie came up beside me. "I'll drive you back in Emmett's Jeep."

I looked over to her. "I appreciate that, Rosalie, but you don't have to."

"I want to. Come on, it's better than walking in the rain."

"Fine," I answered, shifting directions toward the monster car.

Rosalie and I climbed in. I waved one last time to the Cullens and Rosalie peeled off, spitting mud behind us.

"So, mind telling me what this is about?" I asked, sitting back into the seat, folding my arms.

She looked over to me. "You're going against what you were told to save your mother."

"So? I'm sure you would do the same thing."

"Exactly, Bella." She turned back toward the road. "I only disliked you because I didn't know how you would affect my family. But I see that you value family too."

I nodded. "Family is important, Rosalie." I stared far ahead. "Sometimes, it's all we have."

There were no other cars in the driveway when Rosalie pulled up. Good. I didn't want to have to tell my dad some lie about why I was leaving. I'd just leave him a vague note about mom.

I burst through the front door with Rosalie following me. Dashing up to my room, I gave Rosalie instructions to fish my bag from the closet. I went over to my dresser and took all my knifes, hooks, and various ninja weaponry I had brought with me. Rosalie came over with my bag and I shoved them all inside.

Then I went over to the closet myself and pulled out the ninja garb in the back.

"Wow, ninjas really do wear that stuff." Rosalie commented, sitting on my bed.

I nodded. "This our night time and war garb. We usually have a brown and dark green set as well."

I quickly got rid of my American t-shirt and jeans combo, and pulled on the ninja pants. They were loose around the knees and only went down about mid-calf with elastic to keep them from moving. I pulled the top on next. It was a tunic-type piece of clothing, where you have to cover one side with the other and tie a sash around your waist. I pulled it tight, then pulled the fingerless gloves I usually wore on the field, and my toed shoes.

I attached the hood to the back of my tunic and wrapped it around my neck. Rosalie handed me my bag and I slung it over one shoulder. We headed back downstairs, and I jotted a quick, sloppy note to my dad:

_Mom's in trouble._

_Contact you as soon as possible_

_Bella._

And we were out the door.

Rosalie drove fast. I silently thanked her for that. I couldn't help my fingers drumming across the armrest; my nerves were that on edge. The trees of Washington swirled into a green blur as Rosalie shoved the accelerator deeper.

I wondered to myself if I would ever be able to come back. It was very likely I would be killed the second I walked into the Capital's walls. Washington sure wasn't my favorite place in world, but my heart ached to think that I might never see it again.

And the Cullens. They had made me feel more at home than I had ever felt back home. At least relationship wise. They all seemed to enjoy talking to me and spending time together. They were more family than I had ever had.

And then I thought of my mother. She had always been hard on me, making me be the best. But she had always been there to bandage my knees and wrap my ankles whenever I got hurt. She fed me, and made sure I didn't die. She was my mother, even if she didn't always act like it.

Some distant part of my mind realized she was protecting me by sending me away. Perhaps she saw this coming. Maybe they had only attacked my mother because of me. Maybe that vampire was right and I was the deciding factor in this war.

There it was again: maybe.

Soon enough we crossed into Port Angles, and Rosalie parked a block from the Boardwalk. We got out, and I realized that the temperature had dropped several degrees. I pulled the hood over my head, but left my face uncovered. There were people out after all.

We walked up to where we said we'd meet the others, and waited for another minute before they showed up. Edward was wearing a grim expression. He immediately came over and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back, not as rough though. I wasn't worried at all. At least not for myself.

Jasper came over and said, "Does this island pose any threat to Alice?" That earned him a punch from the soothsayer, but I answered him anyway.

"No, she'll be fine, as long as they know you aren't human." I straightened up. "The worst that might happen is you being taken to the Elders and swearing secrecy."

He nodded and backed off. I turned toward Rosalie. "Thank you, Rosalie. I appreciate your help today, and I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot."

"I'm sorry too." She surprised me by hugging me and then stepped back. "I better be off. Come back soon, alright?"

I nodded. "I'll get these three back home somehow."

She stepped back into the darkness, and it was just the four of us now. I turned back toward Edward, Alice, and Jasper. "Do you have everything?"

They nodded in unison.

"Are you positive you want to go? Ninja don't play nice."

They all nodded again.

I let a confident smile come to my face. "Well, then. Looks like it's time to head out."

* * *

Yeah, ninja island is coming next! BTW, _Kuroso _means kill in Japanese. Just thought I'd through that out there. Next chapter will probably be all boat scenes. Gotta set up some background and relationships. Whoot!


	19. Chapter 19

Whoo! Boat ride!

* * *

About two hours into our trip, our captain, Lucky's cousin, called out, "Sorry, guys, we have to drop anchor for the night. Those whirlpools are impossible without light."

I sighed and leaned back heavily on the railing. "Damn it," I cursed under my breath.

Lucky rose his eyebrows at me. "You feeling alright, Bell? You look a little green."

I nodded my head and turned toward the water. Four hours on the water was easy for me. Any longer than that, and my stomach started flipping around and hitting my lungs. Not fun. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

On the other side of the boat, I could hear Edward and the others helping the captain set up for the night. Lucky tapped my shoulder, bringing my attention back to him.

"So, what's between you and Edward?" He asked, staring at his shoes.

I shrugged. "I don't really know, Lucky." I answered honestly. "I mean, I really like spending time with him, and I care for him. But, I don't know."

"You care for him?"

I reached over and smacked him over the head. "I just said that, didn't I?"

"Yeah, just making sure I heard right." He rubbed the back of his head. "Is he really that special?"

I turned toward the direction of Edward's voice. "Yeah, I think so." Lucky remained silent for a while. "Well, say something, Luck, you're freaking me out."

"Sorry," he mumbled. "Just… trying to wrap my head around you crushing on a guy." He turned his face and grinned at me. "It's never happened before."

I sighed. "I know. And it shouldn't be happening now."

"Aw, c'mon, Bell." Lucky punched my shoulder again, perking me back up like he always did. "You can't always help you fall for."

I turned away, and focused on the whooshing of the waves. "Lucky, you know as well as I do that emotions like this are forbidden."

"Bella," Lucky said slowly, joining me against the rail. "They're not forbidden when we're off duty. And back in the States, well, you were about as off duty as it gets."

Sighing, I folded my arms over the railing and glared at the dim, black water. "You know that doesn't help at all."

Lucky sighed, frustration coming over him. "Bella, you've been denying your humanity for too long. Eventually, it was going to leak out." He said, keeping his eyes on the water like me. "On the field, you are about as scary as it gets. A rabid wild animal in a pack of broken-legged deer." Then he faced me again. "But every animal has something they care for, and that's why they become a killing machine. And Bella, I know you don't want to hear this, but, you care about Edward, and there is probably nothing you can do about."

"I know, Luck." I hung my head. "I'm going to be killed the second I walk in the gates, aren't I?"

"No, the townspeople will love to have you back."

"The townspeople don't matter. The Elder's will know what I've done. I'm going to die before I have a chance to redeem myself." Before I could learn how to tell Edward what I felt. That was the biggest issue in my mind. I didn't want to die. I didn't want to do anything that didn't involve him.

I was turning into such a sap.

"You seemed really happy in the States…" Lucky trailed off, changing conversation topics.

"I was fairly happy, Lucky." I muttered back. "The Cullens, they accepted me as I was. Not like I was some kind of freak." And I turned my head back toward Edward's direction.

Lucky kept his head down. "So, I suppose, after this is over, you'll be going back?" I could hear the hurt and longing for me to stay in his voice.

Closing my eyes, I breathed deep. "I don't know, Lucky. Every day back in Washington, I would ache to come back to the island. I can't wait to see it again." Then I paused. "But, now that I think about it, I want to see Washington again."

Lucky's hand came over my shoulder in a friendly hug. "You'll figure it out, kid." He said, smiling his idiotic grin at me. "You always do. Just, promise that if you choose Washington, you'll come back and visit me sometime, huh?"

I nodded at him, and felt a ghost of a smile come over my face. I had truly missed Lucky. He was such a good friend to me. And sometimes I wasn't even nice to him. I was so unfeeling back then, and now….

His brother called him from the captain's deck and Lucky sprinted off toward him, shouting a 'see you later, Bella!' and leaving me alone. I waved once and turned back around.

My head was silent for a while. I just focused on the wind in my face and the sound of the waves against the hull of the ship. It was soothing, and unsettling at the same time. It seemed like the wind was positive I was going to die soon, and blew soft breezes to try and ease my mind.

A cold hand came across my mine, and I instantly gripped it hard, feeling my knuckles peel white.

Edward was standing next to me, a sullen look on his face. "What are you thinking about?"

"How I really hope I'm not stabbed the second I cross the line at the gates." I answered dully, not feeling it anymore.

"They would do that?"

"Lucky says they won't. We can only hope he's right."

"Lucky…" Edward's voice dropped and he put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his side. "Who is to you, really?"

"I told you, Edward. He's my best friend, ever. The only person who's ever dealt with everything I dished at him, and stuck by my side."

He was silent.

"Lucky is like the older brother I've never had." I continued, more rambling to myself than to Edward. "He was always there when my mother wasn't, and he tries to protect me." Tried. But it was usually me saving him.

Edward pulled me closer, almost as if he were afraid of something. I let him, taking a small amount of comfort in his chilled touch.

"Edward, what would you do if I was attacked by village guards the second we crossed the gate?"

"Easy. I'd defend you."

No, he couldn't. He'd be killed too. I would never be able to do anything if that was on my shoulders. Damn it.

But it was nice, knowing that I had people who cared if I lived or died. Lucky was right. All those emotions I had been holding back for all these years. They were finally breaking free.

And then it hit me.

Eventually, they were going to explode. And who knows what would happen then. I had known people who completely lost their heads to anger or sadness. They killed ruthlessly, without a thought. And then they didn't even know what happened afterwards.

I had already felt it coming on. Every time I would fight with my emotions with my head, I would have to punch or break something. Most of the time, I was alone. But the few times I was with Edward surely alerted him to something odd.

Edward must have felt me stiffen up at the realization, because he put a hand on my face and turned it up to face him. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing, Edward." I had to push it to the back of my mind. I wouldn't let the fear of exploding cloud my thoughts in war. War didn't stop because you thought you'd die. In fact, it urged that on.

But staring at Edward, I felt the guilt of lying to him wash over me. I hated it, yes, but it was better if I was the only one who knew. I could prevent him from worrying about me on the field. Because I had asked him to fight too.

Why? Why had I done that? Was I really that… scared to lose this vampire? The thought of leaving him behind made my heart ache. Almost more than thinking of home again. I wanted him close by. But that was dangerous.

I wanted to kiss him again. The feeling was out of nowhere, but it was unstoppable. Edward had wanted it since the last time in the flowered meadow. But I had turned him down every time. The thoughts and emotions were the scariest thing I had ever faced.

But I tried not to think about it now. Instead I put my hand on his neck and pulled him down to me. Our lips connected and that exploding feeling came over me again. Edward pulled me tighter against his body, and pressed his mouth against mine with something similar to desperation.

The kiss lasted for several moments, each of them getting gradually better than the last. Finally, I had to break away from him. I looked back into his deep, dark golden eyes. There was something I had to tell him.

I opened my mouth to say those words, but my tongue refused to form them, so I shut my mouth. Gritting my teeth, I said something else instead.

"Edward," I spoke slowly, clearly, even though he'd hear me if I spoke unintelligibly fast and quiet. "If… if I die here," I swallowed tightly, trying to envision my death. "You have to promise me you'll go home with Alice and Jasper. Go on with your life, or afterlife. Live as if I never existed." Because, technically, I didn't. Ninja kept no birth records, or death records.

Edward kisses me again, hard and fierce, and roughly pulls away. "Like hell I would do that."

"Edward, you have t—"

"'I have to', I know. But Bella, I love you. How in the world could I do that? Live without you?"

I stood frozen, unable to process anything about those three words I had been avoiding since the day at my house when he almost said them. I wanted to say them back. So bad.

But I didn't.

"Edward, I—"

"I know. You can't say that you love me." His voice fell. "I didn't expect you to. But if this situation is really as dangerous as you say, then I think you need to hear it."

"I do care about you, Edward." I told him, trying to ease the emotional pain I was in. I silently cursed my weakness for this vampire, and my weakness against the emotions he riled up. "A lot. But… I'm not sure if I _could_ love." It was such a wide, vast emotion. So vague. There was nothing to grasp on when you fell in love.

Edward hugged me tightly. "You can. Maybe not now." He laid his head on top of mine. "Eventually, though. I can see it in your eyes. You want to say it, but you won't let yourself."

He was right. Who said he needed to hear my mind to know what I was thinking?

I hugged him back, buried my face into his shirt, and said, "I'm so sorry, Edward."

"Don't be, Bella." He squeezed me again, then pulled away. "I will get it out of you eventually. But for now, I think you should go to sleep."

Suddenly I realized I was incredibly tired. It had been a long, hard, emotionally trying day. I said good night to him, and walked off. Once I was under the deck and in my cabin, I laid down on the cot and touched my mouth.

My body still tingled wherever Edward had touched me. My lips ached for more of his. I was going to hell, wasn't I?

I turned over, angry with myself, and closed my eyes. I waited for sleep to come, but the glory of unconsciousness eluded me. Maybe if I let my hearing expand toward the water….

"Edward?"

It was Lucky's voice. He was back on the main deck, walking up to Edward. I could imagine the look of determination on his face. His voice gave that away.

"Yes, Lucky?"

"We need to have a talk. Man-to-man." Lucky told him. The picture in my mind was him standing straight, like he used to in the school yard when someone bullied another kid.

"Yes, I suppose we do." Edward sighed. I could see him leaning against the railing, exasperated with Lucky's thoughts.

"You and Bella have a special relationship, correct?" Lucky demanded.

"Yes, I think so."

"You think so?"

"Well, as you can imagine, I'm sure, one can never tell exactly what Bella is thinking."

Wrong, Edward. You had me as figured out as it got.

I could hear Lucky shrug. "Yeah, I guess so. But if you are with Bella now, you should know some things."

Edward chuckled lightly, probably laughing at Lucky's thoughts. "What might those be?" He asked, humor coating his tone. He already knew.

"First of all, Bella is my best friend, and if you ever try anything with her, or do anything to hurt her, I will personally hunt you down and shred you apart." There wasn't a hint of a joke in Lucky's tone.

"I would never do such a thing." Edward told him. He was sincere. I smiled softly.

"Second, you should be careful around Bella. She has a tendency to get angry seemingly from nowhere. You can never know what will happen in those times. Personally, I have never told about those times, except for the first."

I closed my eyes and tried to wash the blood from my vision. Not again. Go away, I commanded the images. They slowly faded away, and I focused back on the conversation.

"And third, Edward. Don't expect the people back in the Capital to accept the relationship between you and Bella. You will never get approval from her mother, or our Master, or the Elders."

It was true of course. My mother, wherever she was, was probably feeling nails drive into her heart at this. Me, her fearless, emotionless daughter, in the process of falling in love with a vampire.

"Thank you for the advice, Lucky." Edward said, his voice falling a little. I pictured a small frown on his face. "And I only want to protect Bella. Just like you."

Lucky then walked away, and I came back into my cabin. I felt a little gratitude toward Lucky. By approaching Edward like that he confirmed what I said earlier about him being like my older brother. And Edward took it as advice, even though Lucky had practically threatened him with someone taking his head off, whether it was me, him, or the villagers.

Sleep finally drifted over me, after several more trains of thought came and went. I woke up to the sound of Lucky's cousin, I couldn't be bothered to learn his name, shouting that the island was in sight, and we should brace ourselves for the whirlpools.

I went topside and headed to front of the boat. There on the horizon, was the island I had grown up on. The only thing I knew. The only life I knew. The only life I wanted to live.

Finally, I was coming home.

Just like I swore I would.

* * *

Yeah, Bella can finally go home! Gee, wonder what will happen next... OH WAIT! I do know! LOL, but you guys will have to wait! And this chapter was a little longer than usual. Can anyone guess why? To celebrate having over a hundred reveiws of course! I'll probably put out an longer one next time. This one would get awkward with more length.

For now, however, farewell.


	20. Chapter 20

I'm so glad it's Friday. But while I planned to write this all afternoon, it didn't work out that way. First, I herd to talk to a bunch of teachers, and my team asked me to make cookies, and then the fam wanted to watch a movie. Busy day...

* * *

Lucky's cousin shut the engine off as soon as the ports came into sight. The five of us, Alice, Jasper, Lucky, Edward, and myself, stood at the front of the ship, watching the familiar port of Karope come into clarity.

I felt a contented smile coming over me, and as we jerked into the dock, I jumped over the railing and praised the beautiful wooden structure under my feet. The others got off in a more civilized manner, but Lucky seemed pretty happy to be back too.

Stretching my arms wide, I stepped in front of my vampire friends. "Welcome, vampires," I shouted out, grinning wide. "To the glorious Atarian port of Karope!"

Alice scanned the landscape. "Karope? What's that mean?" She asked. "Do you speak a different language here?"

I shook my head and put my arms down. "We usually speak English, but sometimes we name towns and forests Japanese words." Then I shrugged. "But Karope really doesn't mean anything. Not in any written language."

Lucky's cousin dropped in next to us. "Hey, boys and girls, you ought to get movin'. The patrol should be comin' by soon, and you don't want to be caught in that, trust me."

I nodded to him, and bowed slightly. "We appreciate your help."

Lucky's cousin bowed deep in return. "Anything to aid the great ninja warriors of our Atarian saviors." He waved to Lucky then walked off toward his house.

"Well," I turned back to everybody. "Looks like it's time to move out. The capital is a couple hours' walk from here. If we take to the trees, it'll be less."

We all walked out of town without even a second glance. I had put my hood up, hiding my face from the villagers. Ninja passing through weren't uncommon.

Once we hit the tree line, I felt as if the world had just righted itself after being upside down for so long. I took a deep breath, and grabbed a handful of grass. Edward's hand came to my shoulder, and I saw him smiling with me.

We decided we wanted to walk there, because the vampires would need some information on how things worked in the Capital. Couldn't have them going in unprepared.

"Our government is set up by a circle of Elders, with the Head Elder Huron leading. They handle all the laws, all grievances, and choose how to deal with traitors and cowards." Lucky was explaining. "These Elders have a way of always knowing the truth. Rumors float about how they can tap into their adrenaline and use it to boost their mind power to see the future. All the Elders were once powerful ninja, and still abide by our unspoken rules."

"Now, our army is spilt into a few parts." I took over, hacking a few stray vines out of the way. We were off the trail so no one would see and recognize me. "First we have an Ambush Squad. That's made up of several long-distance and mid-distance fighters, as well as some very strong short-distance fighters. We send them in whenever an army is planning on marching in on us without warning. The AS lies in wait and attacks from the sky, beneath the ground, and from the bushes. They never see them coming. The leader is always someone with incredible calculating abilities, and is often chosen by the Elders.

"The next part is the Main Forces. They are the ones who engage hand-to-hand combat the most. The MF is an unstoppable killing wave of ninjas. They usually follow the Ambush Squad, taking out any straggling enemy fighters who choose to fight again. That force is led by the strongest, most experienced ninja we have. The Main Force is an honorable position, one that holds glory and rewards sacrifice. But when they come head to head with rival force, the body count goes up. Way up. You can't live long in the MF.

"Last, but sure as hell not least, is the Special Operations Core. We are the best of the best. All of the Core's members have skill in almost every aspect of battle and stealth. Our missions usually include rescuing captives, running recon, planting traps, and destroy enemy camps without them knowing. Many people in Atarian lands call us the Invisible Killers, because when we're sent to kill, we leave no trace." I tilted my chin up, and steadied my gaze onto a tall tree. "This group is lead by my mother."

"What position were you in this Special Ops Core?" Alice asked, trailing closely behind me.

"I was second in command. If my mother were ever to retire, I would take over the Core and everything in it."

Jasper's eyes were flitting around, as if he expect it to rain threats as we were walking under the leaf canopy. "You ninja seem very militaristic."

I nodded. "Of course. Ninja are meant for war and sabotage. As much as some want peace, it isn't possible here."

"Why not?" Jasper asked me.

"There are so many enemy clans that want us dead. There were some native tribes that attacked us at first, but once they realized we were refugees they left us alone. But the other ninja clans hate Atari and all we stand for."

Lucky stepped in front of me, and turned around, walking backward and facing us. "Atari is symbol of unity. Our people are united under the Elders' rule. They are happy, and they are free to prosper."

"Wow," Edward mumbled. "You really take this stuff seriously."

"We have to, Edward," I told him, falling back beside him. "We, the ninja, have to uphold the image of Atari."

We all fell silent. I listened to the Opalian birds sing and croak their songs, and the small animals skitter away. After a short while, Lucky began to whistle the Song of Rebirth from the Spring Festival, and my heart tugged at me again.

"Has the Festival happened yet, Lucky?" I asked, hoping over some fallen trunks.

"No, not yet. It's about three days away." He answered, turning his face toward the sun. "Everyone is really hoping the enemy will hold off until afterward. But it's doubtful the assault will halt for ten days."

I didn't say anything back. Edward nudged me and leaned down to my ear. "What's the Spring Festival?"

"It's a celebration we Atarians have every spring to honor those who died in the past year and send wishes to newborns and old friends. It's the symbol of rebirth. The symbol of starting anew. The symbol of changing and growing."

"What is it like?"

"Spectacular." My eyes glazed over as I remembered the past celebrations. "There's food, fireworks, music, and dancing. It's the biggest party ever." I looked over to Edward and grinned lightly. "With any luck, you'll get to see at least the kick off."

Edward nodded. "I hope so. It's sounds amazing."

It was. I just looked at him and turned back to the path. The air was beginning to change. There wasn't the smoky pollution some cities had in the Capital, but it held a different scent. The air was usually filled with the smell of human life, of food and drinks and laughter. I sighed, taking it in. I missed this. More than I had felt back in Washington.

We broke from the tree line, and the Wall came into view. The giant, imposing curtain of concrete that surrounded Capital Atari and protected all in its walls. The Gate stood in the middle of it, the trail we had avoided leading into it. A few caravans flowed inside, after being thoroughly checked by the ninja standing guards. The only way in was through that gate.

It was now or never.

I swallowed, my throat tight with worry. Would I be killed on sight, or would they hear my out?

Moving slowly, we migrated into a small group of travelers and tried to blend. But with me and Lucky wearing the ninja uniformed garb, and the vampires in such odd clothing, we stood out. I was hoping that the guards had been on duty for a while and were too tired to care who they let inside. But the likelihood of that was about negative seventy percent.

"Edward," I muttered to him. "Do not attack them. Don't fight unless they come after you, understand? Remember, they're only doing their job. No one should be punished for that."

Edward's mouth thinned, but he nodded.

And then we were on the gate. The second my foot crossed onto the concrete bricked pavement, I felt two strong hands on my arms, halting my progress. Gritting my teeth, I looked up to see my captors. They were two people who had graduated the year before me, so I didn't know them too well.

"Hold it right there, kid." They growled. "You're Isabella Swan, correct?"

I held my head high, and saw Edward, Alice, and Jasper were surrounded too. But they were following my orders by not immediately fighting. Lucky stood nearby, trying to reason with the guards they we were harmless, that he brought me back to help. But that just ended up with him being taken by the wrists.

"To the Elders with you five. We'll let them decide." My holder spat at me.

We sad nothing, but let them lead us to HQ in the center of town and down several flights of stairs to the bottom level.

There sat the ring of Elders, twelve old ninja, still serving their clan. They sat on a raised semicircular stage, and we were thrown into a railed circle in front of them. Bars shot up around us and cut off the exits above us. We were trapped.

"State your name," A deep, commanding voice rang out and echoed several times.

I held my head up to Head Elder Huron. "I am Isabella Swan, daughter of Specials Ops Core commander, Renee, ex member and second in command of Special Ops, and war exile." I kept my voice loud and clear, showing that I was not afraid and I had no need to be. "These are my comrades, Edward, Alice, and Jasper Cullen. They are from America."

"America!" One Elder shouted out. "Outsiders are forbidden!"

"I know, Elder. But these are not human outsiders. They are vampiric. They already hold the secret of their prescence. They would never tell our secrets."

"Why do you bring them here, when you yourself are an exile?" Huron asked, much calmer than before.

"I apologize, Head Elder, but my friend, Lucky Delmonty, came and told me about the current situation. He told me about the approaching Ponta army and my mother's kidnapping. He said that I was needed to lead the army against them. And I agree."

"Agree with Delmonty?" The furthest one on the left belted out. "He's a dreamer. No one should agree with him."

A small flash of anger crossed my face, but I quickly erased it. "Tell me, Elder, who do have to lead the Special Ops?"

Silence. Execelent.

"I am second in command. In my mother's absence, I should take her place."

"But you are exiled." Huron took back over.

I nodded to him. "This is true, Head Elder, but our people need me. Please, sir," I bowed my head. "At least allow us to stay until after the battle is finished and you have found another to lead."

More silence. But this one was uncomfortable. They were deciding my fate.

Edward's hand brushed mine, and I risked a glance at him. His eyes held hope and anxiety. And fear. I tried to convey my strength and emotionlessness into him, but I don't think he got it.

"Very well, Swan." Huron spoke again. "You are allowed to stay until another leader is chosen for the Special Operations Core. Gaurds," He clapped twice and three white-clad ninja appeared around us. "Escort them to the streets. And Swan?"

"Yes, Head Elder?"

"Do not let us down."

I nodded confidently. "Of course not, sir. And thank you for your kindness and time."

We were practically thrown out on the street by the white ninjas. I looked around to everyone. Lucky's face was pale, and sweat was pouring down his forehead. I patted his shoulder, and told him go back home. He nodded, and said goodbye.

"Come on." I said to the others. "We'll stay at my house. It's not too far."

* * *

So , there was a lot of explanation there. I'll try to make the next few more action filled.


	21. Chapter 21

Whoo, finally got the internet fixed on my laptop! I was going to update yesterday, but I was so tired, and my mind just wasn't here, so I came up with a big blank and just crashed. Anyway, it's up no, so enjoy!

* * *

As we walked through the civilian sector of town, I let myself wonder. The Elders hadn't even blinked when I told them Edward, Alice, and Jasper were vampires. In my mind, I imagined them going crazy with anger and destroying all of us instantly, or intense questioning involving torture. Hours and hours of agony at the hands of someone I knew well.

So why did they just let us walk?

Alice tapped on my shoulder, and pointed to a shop down the street. "What's that place?"

"That's the outfitters. They do all ninja uniforms and formal gathering clothing."

"Can we go there?" Alice practically begged me, grabbing my elbow.

"Maybe tomorrow." I told her. I was really anxious to get home. "I need to check on some stuff with the shopkeeper anyway."

She squealed and dropped back to tell Jasper all about what I was going to take her to do tomorrow. I shook my head, smiling slightly. Alice was fun to be around most of the time, but after a while, you kinda got dizzy from her.

At this time of day, there were many people out on the streets, shopping and socializing. Most of them recognized me and smiled widely, waving with joy that I was back. I guess nobody else was happy with my exile sentence.

"This is incredible…." I heard Edward whisper behind. I turned to him with an eyebrow raised.

"What, my city? Yeah, it's pretty cool. Just wait till after dark."

"Well, not just your city, Bella. The people here. The second they see you, they instantly light up with excitement. It's like you're a celebrity."

I shrugged, and waved back to them. "I'm the best ninja of my generation, Edward. I've saved and helped these people a million times over. Of course they adore me."

Edward was quiet behind me. I wonder what he made of all this. Sure, he had seen my abilities in action, but to see that the place I called home was real had to be a lot. I knew he had a hard time letting me do the things I did. He was too protective of me. He saw these people, probably reliving the times I put myself in danger for their lives, and it was making him nervous.

"We're almost to my house, guys." I announced, as we entered the housing sector. Most of the houses ninjas resided in were uniform. Enough space for you to put a few things, sleep, cook, and relax a little and that was it. My mother and I had a slightly larger house, because there was two of us. But it looked pretty much the same.

I reached into the dead flower patch beside my porch and pulled out a key, shoving it into the lock and twisting. The door swung open, squeaking loudly, and making me wince. I stepped in and flicked on the front room light.

"Come on in, guys." I told them after they stood on my porch for several moments. "There's no booby traps here, don't worry."

A small couch was in the room, along with several bookshelves and shelves filled with trophies, plaques, and medals. A crimson red rug was beneath our feet, but that was it for decoration.

"No TV?" Jasper asked, picking up a framed picture on the mantle.

"We don't have television here, Jasper." I told him, drifting toward the kitchen. "Ninja don't do much of anything other than missions. We don't have a lot of free time."

"But you have some, right? What do you during it?" He asked again, touching everything else.

I shrugged. "Read, I guess. Visit non-ninja friends. Home improvement."

Alice had followed me into the kitchen and was looking around. "The decoration is practically nonexistent."

"Ninja don't spend a lot of time. No need for a pretty house, Alice. We just need a place to sleep and eat before our next mission."

"What are all these awards for?" Edward asked from the other room, and when I walked back toward them, I saw Jasper and him staring at my mother's wall of fame.

"Those are my mother's. They're nothing special, really. Just saying how she rescued diplomats, stopped attacking bandits on a small village, the works."

"That's no big deal?" Jasper and Alice asked.

"Yeah, every one does it, but the higher ups like to acknowledge it extravagantly." I waved it off. "Almost every ninja has at least a few of these awards."

Edward came over and tapped me on the shoulder. I looked over to him and he held up a picture for me to see. "Who's in this picture?"

"Oh, that's the day I was assigned to Master Yuju. That's me, on the left, Lucky in the middle, and Gasher on the right." I pointed them out. "That was about seven years ago," I told him, reaching into my bag and pulled a few knives out and hanging them on the wall next to my bookshelf.

"You've never told me about Gasher." He commented.

I shrugged. "Nothing to tell. He died a long time ago. Don't worry about it." I said hastily, keeping the pain out of my voice.

I could feel the curiosity rolling off everyone in the room, so I quickly changed the subject. "I suppose I don't have to set up beds for you, seeing as you don't sleep. But you can hang out upstairs in my room, or the guest room. Don't enter my mother's room." I ran through the rules in my head, saying them aloud as I thought them. "Try not to damage the weapons hanging on the wall, don't smudge anything glass or metal."

"Wow, you'd think your mother was clean freak or something." Alice said, sitting down on the couch.

"Well, when it comes to her ninja stuff, she is." I shrugged again. "No one ever said she made since."

Jasper sat next to her. "Is there somewhere nearby in the walls that we can hunt?"

"Oh, yeah, a couple blocks back the sector fades into forest. Usually ninjas train there, but not at night. There are plenty of animals, big and small, you guys can drink from." I told them. "But speaking of hunting, I need to go hunting for some food myself. I'm going to run to the food district in the civilian sector. Shouldn't take me too long. Make yourselves at home." I reached for the door again.

Edward followed me out. "Do you mind if I come with you?"

I shook my head. "Of course not." I answered. "I'm glad for the company."

We walked back to the civilian sector in silence. One we crossed over the tram tracks separating the sectors Edward spoke up.

"So this is your town, huh?" His head was constantly turning to take everything in.

"Yeah, this is the famous Capital Atari."

"How many of these people passing us are ninjas?" Edward asked again, earning strange looks from everyone around.

"Not many. This is the civilian sector. Most ninja stay within the government sector, the housing sector, or the sector designated to our group in the military. We usually only come here to buy supplies and food." I walked up to the meat hanger's and purchased some meat. The hanger wrapped it up tightly and shoved it into a cloth sack. I paid, thanked him, and walked away. "But the civilians always enjoy it when we do pass through. We pay them better for their services, and we give them a feeling of protection."

Edward nodded. "Which is why everyone adores you."

I smirked. "That and I'm just awesome like that."

He chuckled, and I went to buy some vegetables and some fruit. I stuffed those into the cloth sack as well, and headed for the spice stand.

"This place is so different from home." Edward said, running his fingers across an empty stand. "It's like the pictures you see of ancient towns, where you barter for food and everyone knows everyone else."

"Yeah, we don't use a lot of 'modern' technology. If we did use it, things would change, and our history would be lost to the future. And look around, Edward. A city of this size back on the mainland would have a high crime rate. No one here is committing random acts of violence. We all care for each other." I bought my spices and turned back to go home again.

Edward followed me, of course. "So you never have theft or murder on these streets?"

"I wouldn't say never. But it doesn't happen very often. I think the last time someone was killed here, I was five or six."

Edward seemed stunned. "It's like a different world here."

"Now you know how I felt back in the states." I said simply, raising my eyebrows.

* * *

Meh, a couple of boring chapters lately. But the scene really needs to be set for Capital Atari. And yes, I did name the Atarian ninjas after the ancient game system. And I wasn't sure where I wanted to end this chapter, so I just cut it off where I got tired.


	22. Chapter 22

It's awesome, guys. How I can spend _days_ thinking about how to word the first sentence in the chapter, but the rest flows out like hot magma. I barely have to think about it. How ridiculous is that?

* * *

My bedroom ceiling was as plain as I remembered it. I stared at it for hours, however, unable to focus on anything else. Sprawled out on top of my dusty, unchanged sheets, I let my mind wander. That was never a good thing. Whenever my mind drifted like this, I tended to bring up topics in myself that caused some sort of emotional break down.

My house was completely silent, save for my slow, steady breathing. The vampires had gone to hunt together, leaving me alone. I had originally planned to go to sleep while they were gone. But having been surrounded by people for most of yesterday and today, I needed some solitude, and my body just didn't want to go to sleep while I was having solitary time.

My mind slowly drifted back to my favorite vampire. I wondered what it would be like to see him hunt. He had said that you give yourself over to the instincts rooted inside you, and that it was 'too scary' or something. I imagined it'd be the same for him if he saw me stalking someone I was commissioned to assassinate. That instinctual control, and the soundlessness.

I found my hand aching for my old knife. The knife that I had carried with me to the States. The one that had always had my back. It was almost as good as my comrades. I pulled it off my bedside table, and held it above my face. Edward had laughed at me when I was bragging about the quality of it. But it was one of the few things I actually took pride in. It was the first object I had bought with my mission money. The first thing I had complete claim over. Over the years, I had to sharpen it multiple times, and had the hilt redone over again. But the metal was still quality. This knife was as necessary to me as any internal organ or appendage.

I had made my first kill with this knife, and countless others with it. But the first was always the most memorable. The one that stuck forever in your mind, the one that gave you nightmares for years following. Most ninja don't get a assassination job until they were about seventeen. And my kill wasn't for an assassination. It was for protection. I barely remembered it. According to Lucky, I had blacked out from rage and pain, and just killed the man.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I forced those thoughts away. Don't think about that, Bella. It's not going to change anything. I had gone years without my mind going back to _that_. Why was it springing up now?

Right. Because of vampire-boy and the way my emotions reacted to him.

I could understand a little of why I acted the way I did with him. He loved me. And he knew I felt similarly, but I couldn't say it. But I don't think what I felt for him was as strong as he thought it was. Years and years of denying that part of me left my emotions dulled. Or so I thought. Lucky had said it was going to break free eventually. Maybe that was true for emotions other than the negatives ones.

Edward.

Just his name caused my chest to tighten. He was like my knife, in a way. He was the first person I felt claim over. I didn't want someone else to use my knife, or to have Edward. My knife was lethal, as was Edward. He seemed to have emotional scars, similar to mine, but he was being fixed up, just like my knife. A few repairs here and there, and he was perfect, good as new. And I knew Edward would never hurt me, as well as my knife.

Then I felt a little bad for comparing Edward to an inanimate object. Edward was more important than something like that. Edward did more for me than just kill and bring comfort. He made me feel happy, accepted, and broke down those emotional barriers I had worked so hard to build up.

I felt a small smile come to my lips as I remembered our kiss on the boat. It was something from a cheesy American romance film, a sweet kiss on the sea as they were preparing to die. But I supposed that they were on to something. That had only been the second kiss I had ever had in my life, but it was certainly the best. I had to find a way to express my feelings to him. Maybe the kick off ceremonies of the Festival would at least happen before the Pontas rained down on us. Maybe I would find a way to tell him then.

But I knew, somewhere deep in my heart, it wasn't going to be easy at all.

The night hours ticked away slowly as my mind spun along. I watched the moon creep across the sky through my shuttered window. Finally, it got to the point where the room was too stuffy for me and I threw the window open, letting the early spring breeze in. The same breeze I had always known. Clear, fresh, and smelled of oak and pine trees. Not a hint of the slight salt that was mixed in back in Washington.

With the breeze crawling across my face, I let my mind drift to my mother. I remember her teaching me to find my way using the stars on nights like this. She taught me how to see better in the dark, and how to use the darkness to my advantage in battle. Everything had always been about me surviving in the field.

After having spent some time in the States with Edward's mother, Esme, I knew that mothers weren't supposed to be just about survival. They were supposed to help their children's lives be easier, show them how to live, protect, and love them.

Did my mother love me?

When I was little, I thought she did. I was the only kid in school who didn't live with both my mother and father. Some people thought that put me at a disadvantage. No father to teach me hand-to-hand combat and a mother who was always away on missions. But I had beaten all of them. My mother taught me how to fight better than any father could, and my mother was always there for the important things, like moving up a year, or my graduation. She was even there for my first awards ceremony.

I thought she loved me.

But why did she exile me?

I closed my eyes, feeling my body tense at the thoughts. She had cast me aside because she thought I wasn't good enough. After all those years of practically killing myself to get better, and to be the best. None of it was worth it.

_Don't say that_.

I opened my eyes. Gasher's voice had been coming back to me in small moments like this. I missed him. Lucky, Gasher, and I had been the best of friends. Practically inseparable. Which made it all more the devastating when he had died.

Shaking my head, I cleared those thoughts. Stop it, Bella, I told myself, shifting my gaze toward my window again. It was slowly beginning to lighten. I wondered briefly when Edward and the others would get back.

Sometime between that time and sunrise, I had fallen asleep, because I felt a cold hand shaking me, and had to fight against it to stay under sleep's warm blanket.

"Bella, you promised to take me to the outfitters today." Alice's shrill voice cut easily into my slumber, and I opened my eyes groggily.

"Right." I grumbled, glancing around. Alice was standing over my bed, her eyes a fresh, bright gold. Signs of her hunt.

"Hurry up!" Alice ushered me into my ninja clothing, and tossed me a piece of fruit she'd found downstairs.

"Slow down, Alice." I stretched a little, and shook my hair out. "The outfitter doesn't open until nine."

"It's eight-fifty now! Hurry up!"

Geez, did this vampire ever run out of energy? I felt a jolt of sympathy for Jasper, always dealing with this.

I tied my tunic together, and grabbed the green, dusty one from the closet. It had gotten torn up really bad before I was sent to the front lines, and I hadn't gotten a chance to fix it yet. So now seemed as good a time as ever.

Biting into the fruit on the walk out of the housing sector, Alice chattered happily how much she liked the woods back behind the houses. I listened quietly, letting the tang of the citrus run over my throat. The day was just beginning for the civilians, and those up were cheery, as per usual. They all seemed thrilled to see me and Alice walking by. I nodded politely back to them, and received several 'welcome back's from them.

We reached the outfitters, and I pushed the door in, hearing the little jingle of the bell on the door. "Mr. Shiwa!" I called into the empty store. "Are you in yet?"

I heard crashing and cursing from the back room, and suddenly the gray-haired man that was Sid Shiwa appeared. "Isabella Swan!" He shouted, running over and hugging me tightly. "I heard rumors you were back in town."

"Yes, sir." I pulled back, a little stiffly. I wasn't used to that. "This is my friend, Alice Cullen." I introduces. "Alice, this is the outfitter, Sid Shiwa."

Sid took a deep bow, and stood straight again. "Anyway, Bella, what can I do for you?"

I slung my green garb from over my shoulder and handed to him. "A repair, if you don't mind. This uniform is a little scraggly."

He smiled brightly. "Of course, dear Bella." He hurried away, grabbed his sewing supplies, and set to his job.

Alice was taking in the sight of the store. There were several Japanese kimonos hung up by the shop window, and several less formal tunics and robes. Alice seemed to be looking for the racks of clothing that inhabited American clothing stores.

I smirked. "Sorry, Alice. Everything here is custom made. Mr. Shiwa never makes ready-to-sale clothing."

"Never!" Sid shouted from his sewing corner. "I just make a few models to show people what they can buy. Once they know about what they want, I customize to fit them perfectly."

I nodded. "He's the best in the business."

Alice stared in awe at me. "Really?"

"Yes. I can ask him to make you something, if you'd like. I'm sure Mr. Shiwa would be more than happy to." I told her, seeing the light in her eyes.

"Did you bring your friend here for the Festival, Bella?" Sid asked, momentarily stopping his frantic weaving of thread.

I couldn't tell him the reason they were here, so I just shrugged.

Sid bustled over, my uniform still in hand. "Tell me, Alice dear, what is your favorite pattern? I can make you a fine Festival kimono or dress if you please?" I could see the excitement in both Alice's and Sid's eyes.

I laughed lightly to myself. "Well, you two work on that, and don't forget my uniform, Mr. Shiwa. But I have got more errands to run. I'll be back after lunch time, if that's alright."

Sid nodded, and waved me away, standing over a book of fabric patches. I shrugged and walked out the door. I began making my way out of the civilian sector and toward one of the most familiar to me: the Special Ops Core sector.

* * *

Well, I thought that was nice little chapter. Insight into Bella's mind and some friendly-friendness between Alice and Bella. And for those of you wondering, I will eventually describe what happened to Gasher. It's a main point to Bella. All in good time, my brain monkeys.

But for now, I'm hoping for a snow day tomorrow so I can sleep and read and write. Fare the well.


	23. Chapter 23

Heya readers! Glad to see people happy with this story, as always. And as for Bella feeling all down on her mother, remember how down on emotions she usually is. And Gasher's story will be coming soon, no worries.

* * *

The Special Ops sector was just as I remembered it. A span of short wide buildings as far as any normal person could see. All of them were painted black, and, at night, seemed to disappear into the darkness. A few black clad ninjas wandered the streets between the buildings, but it was silent.

I dropped down from the roof I was sitting on and landed on the cobblestone without a sound. A few heads turned my way, but I quickly slid into the shadow of a building, away from their sight. It was probably better if I were to stay hidden until I could talk with the director.

I peeked back around the corner of the building and saw the ninjas walking disappeared. With a swift glance behind me, I saw they hadn't sneaked back there. Running as quietly as I could, I crossed the street and dashed down an alley that would lead to the director's office. I wondered if the Elders had told the director about my return. Probably. I hoped so. That would save me some explanation time.

Following the familiar path, I soon came over the trap door leading to the underground network of tunnels. A quick route to the director. But a crowded one. Lucky for me, I'd attached the hood and face mask on to my tunic before I left, so I pulled those up over my face. The only thing visible was my eyes.

I flipped the door up, and dropped inside into a large crowd of ninja. No one gave me a second glance. Normally, up top, you'd be the center of attention with your face mask on. But down here in the Specials Ops Core, everything was about business. Half the people here had their faces covered. No one gave me a second glance.

My feet shuffled along with the flow of traffic. It took everything I had not to strike up a conversation about what had happened since I was gone with my comrades. Biting the cloth of my face mask helped me to bite my tongue, though.

After several minutes of traveling below ground with dim, strung lights, I came to a large opening in the rock around me. Street lamps covered the underground road, and I stepped out of the group. I glanced around, taking in the sight of the Special Ops Core's underground plaza. There were shops down here that you couldn't find topside. Those shops specialized in things only a Core member could require for duty. I ached to go inside and restock, but I was on a mission.

Turning away before I could talk myself into it, I headed down a side road, this one less crowded, and stepped onto an official looking building just of the edge of the road. The building was cut out of solid rock, and still had the overall shape of a building you'd find on the surface. But this one had a more majestic feeling to it.

The director's offices. I stepped forward and pushed the door open with my shoulder. A blue clad ninja sat at a desk, twirling a pen on his finger. Clearly, he was bored out of his mind. I came over and pulled down my hood, leaving the cloth over the lower half of my face on.

"Excuse me." I mutter, trying not to startle him too badly.

The guy looked up at me and frowned. "You look familiar."

"I'm here to see the director." I told him, ignoring his comment.

"Do you have an appointment?" The guy's face went back to his pen.

"Is he busy?"

"Tell me if you have an appointment. Otherwise, you can't see him."

"You would refuse you commander an audience with the director?" I snarled. This guy was seriously getting on my nerves. The audacity to sound bored in front an active duty ninja. He should be fired and kicked out immediately.

"My commander isn't here. But she'd burn me for sure if I let you past." His voice was dropping slowly in that bored tone.

I ripped the cloth off my face, and got closer. "I am Isabella Swan, kid. Now let me pass." I demanded.

The guy's mouth dropped and he gapped at me. "But you're supposed to b-be…?" He stuttered out, reaching for a knife in the desk.

I sighed and shook my head. "You really think that I was here to cause harm to the director that you wouldn't be unconscious already?"

That stopped him. "You may go through." He mumbled, fear still dominant in his eyes.

I blew past him and found myself in the hallway leading to the director. The door was plain, unintimidating. But the man behind it? That was another thing.

The director was the one who coordinated who did what and was in charge of what. My mother was commander of the forces out on the field, but everyone really reported back to the director.

I opened the door cautiously. Glancing at the ground, I saw no other feet besides mine and the director. I wasn't interrupting anything. Good.

"Excuse me, sir." I kept my head down, respectful. "I don't mean to interrupt anything."

I hear the man's feet shuffle and I know he's shifted from one elbow on the desk, to the other. "And you would be…?"

I look up at him, avoiding eye contact, still respectful. "Isabella Swan, sir." I answered steadily. "Renee's daughter."

"Aw, the infamous Isabella Swan. I hear your mother exiled you?"

I nodded, clasping my hands together to keep from showing agitation. "Yes, sir. But the Elders have allowed me to stay until the issue with the Pontas is resolved."

"Well, that was generous." The director stood and came over to me. "I take it you are here about the open commanding position."

I nodded again. "Yes, sir." I answer again. "I was second in command before my mother sentenced me exile."

"Renee picked you for her second in command?"

"Yes, sir."

"What is so special about you? You are just a teenager."

I kept my rigid posture, even though he was agitating me a little. "I'm considered the best ninja of my generation, sir." I answered, every word coming out clearly.

He huffed, and picked up an apple from his desk, twirling it between his fingers. "I remember you now." He said, biting it. He swallowed after chewing a little and started again, "You were the young girl Renee recommended to the Core. You and that boy Lucky Delmonty, or whatever."

"Yes, sir. That was me."

He went to a file cabinet behind him and pulled out a drawer. After several moments of flicking through folders, he finally pulled one out. On the outside it was stamped 'Classified: Special Operations Core only!" And the tag at the top read 'Isabella Swan' in small, printed text. "Here we go. The results of that test you took however many years ago."

"Five years ago, sir." I told him. "And you'll find that I have the best scores you have on record."

He glared at me from the corner of his eyes. "We'll see."

Pulling out several sheets of paper, he took his time reading them, while I remained standing, stiff, determined not to break rank. I could see his eyes scanning each page thoroughly, not missing a word. I swallowed mentally.

"Well, it appears you are correct, Miss Swan. You are more than proficient in every category. Especially mind tactics. Impressive. And you say you were second in command under your mother?"

"Yes, sir."

"What did you do to get her to exile you as she did?"

"I suggested a retreat, sir, when our forces were severely injured."

A narrowed, confused look came to his face. "She exiled you for protecting your comrades?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir. She said I had too weak a mind to be an Atarian ninja."

He hummed, and drummed his fingers against his solid wood desk. "That sounds like Renee. But her own daughter…" He muttered under his breath to himself. "Very well, Isabella. You shall be appointed temporary commander. If you manage to pull my men through this relatively unscathed, I shall consider making you permanent commander, and revoking your exile."

I almost smiled, but I was still in ninja mode, so I stayed stiff. I cupped my fist in my palm and bowed slightly. "Thank you, sir, very much."

"You are dismissed. Expect a letter tomorrow morning with instructions."

I nodded, and stepped out of his room. Once I was down the street and back to the trapdoor, I sprang out and jumped up, excited.

_Yes_! I was in! I was commander of the Core! Just like I had always dreamed!

Then I remembered why I had to become commander. My mother. That killed the excitement. I made a silent vow to myself that after I eradicated the Ponta force coming for us, I'd find her and get her the hell out of… well, what had to be hell.

My feet carried back toward the civilian sector and the sun told me it was almost time for lunch. Then my stomach caught up with it, and I stopped for some food. It was my favorite restaurant in the Capital.

The head chef came out just in time to see me sit down at a table, and came over to greet me.

"Well, if it isn't the infamous Isabella Swan!" he cheered. "Welcome back, kiddo. You want you usual order?"

"Yes, please," I smiled tightly at him. "With a side of grilled potato, if you don't mind."

"Oh, I'd never mind for my favorite customer!" And he hurried back to the kitchen to prepare my food.

The second the door swung close, I felt a familiar presence behind me. I turned slightly to see Master Yuju standing there.

"Master Yuju." I greeted, bowing in my seat. "Sit down, Master." I offered, gesturing to the seat across from me.

"Don't mind if I do, Isabella." He pulled the chair out and sat down, smiling lightly at me. "Nice to see my favorite student is such good spirits."

I nodded. "Nice to see my favorite teacher in such good health."

"Oh, come now, child." He huffed at me. "I'm not that old."

I shrugged. "I guess not. But you sure act old."

He smiled wider at that one. "It's nice to see you back, Isabella. Lucky and I have missed you dearly."

"How many times do I have say 'call me Bella', before you actually do?" I sighed, and watched the chef come back out carrying my plate of hot meat and vegetables. My mouth begins to water when I smell it. "Oh, this smells excellent." I nodded to him. "Thank you."

He smiled, took Master Yuju's order, and walked back to the kitchen.

Yuju turned back to me. "How is it you have come back to the Capital? I heard about the sentence your mother gave you."

I took a long sip of my tea, and shook my head. "Lucky told me about my mother's kidnapping. I couldn't just sit down and not try to help."

Yuju reached out and patted my shoulder. "Good. I taught you well."

I remained silent for a moment. "I just came from the Core's director's office. He's officially appointed me as a temporary commander." I finally said, twirling the grilled potato around with my utensils.

"So you'll be leading the Core into the strike against the Ponta's marching armies?"

I nodded.

"Well, then we have a very strong chance nothing bad will happen to the city."

I looked up at him. "You really think that?"

"Of course, Isabella." His cheerful smile had been replaced with a confident one. One that often came to mine and Lucky's face. Like mentor, like student. "I mean, you are the best. If anyone can pull it off, it's you."

I smirked at him. "Thanks, Master Yuju." I finished my plate and drained my cup of tea. "I'm sorry to ditch you, Master, but I promised a friend I'd meet her after lunch."

He just waved me away, and went to eating his food in silence.

I walked out and turned to go back the outfitter's. Commander of the Core's forces. The dream I had always wanted. To follow my mother's footsteps into the commanding position.

But now that I was there, she was no where to be found. I always imagined her standing beside me as I was chosen to lead, her stern eyes unusually soft and glowing with pride. And now I wasn't even _really_ commander. I was just a fill in.

But the director told me if I did a good job, I would be appointed. That thought brought a glimmer of hope back to me.

However, something else occurred to me. In order for me to fully accept the position of Core commander, I would have to find my mother. I would have to wrench her away from the hands that bound her wherever she was and bring her home. I couldn't be commander if I knew I was ignoring my mother to get there. Not even my dream was worth stepping over my mother.

I was going to find my mother, and destroy those who took her.

* * *

So, I was reading this paper for my English teacher's Humanities class and it was about how to find signifance in literature. Some of the things you're supposed to check for, like symbols and weather patterns to suggest the mood, are in this story! I was so happy with myself after that.

Heh, enough of my bragging. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and expect another one probably Fridays. I have to write an essay tomorrow so I don't know how much time I'll have after that.


	24. Chapter 24

So, technically, I lied a little last chapter. It's not Friday anymore, but it's only 47 minutes after.

* * *

Just outside the Sid's shop, I saw Jasper, Lucky, and Edward all sitting against the brown brick wall. They seemed to be in an intense conversation, with their heads huddled up together. The sight reminded me a little of the gossiping girls back in the States.

I came up, my usual smirk on my face. "Hello, boys." I said, causing all three heads to turn up to be.

"Bella!" Lucky smiled up at me. "Where've you been?"

"I had to go to the Core." I told him, sitting down next to Edward.

Edward slung his arm around my shoulder and smiled. "What for?" He asked.

"I had to speak with director," I raised my eyebrows. "You can't just declare yourself Core commander, you know."

Jasper sighed, and shifted against the wall. "Alice should hurry up in there."

"Have you been in there since I left her with Sid?" I asked him, leaning forward to look at Jasper.

"Yes, and she all but threw me out." He shook his head, his thick blond hair falling in his face. "You should probably know that Alice doesn't like to be interrupted in one of her 'designing fits'."

"Message received," I muttered, leaning my head back against the brick.

Lucky stood up and checked the window of the Sid's shop. "I think their almost done. We should probably make sure old Sid's head hasn't exploded yet."

The four of us walked inside, careful not to say anything until Alice jumped in to conversation first. When we walked in, I saw both Alice and Sid hovering over swaths of fabric. They were murmuring to each other in phrases I don't even want to have to repeat. None of it made any sense. Then again, I was a ninja, not a fashionista.

We stood there for a moment, then Sid's head turned to see us. He perked up at the sight of me and ran into his back room to grab my repaired uniform.

"Bella, dear! I fixed your uniform right up." He bowed, holding it up to me.

I smirked and took it, looking it over. "Thanks, Mr. Shiwa." I said, shaking the tunic out a little. "It looks great."

"Anything for my favorite ninja customer." Sid grinned widely at me. "And you're friend here is quite interesting. I didn't know she came from the mainland."

I shrugged. Then something occurred to me. Edward, Jasper, and Alice were all wearing American clothing. There was no way these guys were going to avoid the eye around here with those. And I really didn't want to have to keep explaining that.

"Speaking of the mainland…"

It was about an hour and half later when we got to leave. Edward and Jasper were donning their new Capital clothing: loose fitting pants, thick soled boots, and cloth tunics with a long jacket over them. Alice was wearing a female version, meaning the pants were shorter and looser, looking more like one of those long skirts back in the States. They fit in better, but it was still pretty obvious they were foreign.

"So, tell me again why we have to wear this awkward clothing?" Edward asked, pulling at his sleeves. "I feel like an idiot walking around in a bath robe."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Edward, this is the Capital, home of the Atarian ninja. You agreed to fight with us, so you have to look like us."

"Why couldn't we wear your ninja outfit?" He whined as we crossed over the tram tracks back into the housing sector.

After hearing how Jasper used to be a soldier, Lucky jumped up and exclaimed that he had to see the museum of war history in the far side of the sector. Jasper had jumped on that offer, and of course Alice had followed him. That left me and Edward to walk home by ourselves.

"Because, Edward, everyone would know you aren't Atarian. Within our home cities, we ninja don't conceal our identities. And you are way too old to be a rookie."

Edward groaned beside me. "How do these people stand wearing this stuff?"

I scowled at him. "Edward, our clothing is part of us. It's not like in America, where you can wear whatever you want and it means nothing. Here, people will analyze you by how you talk, how you stand, and certainly how you dress. Clothing is a symbol of who is respectable and who isn't."

He stayed quiet after that. I let out a sigh and turned away from him. I felt like some old teacher trying to drill facts into a four-year-old student's brain. Maybe this is how the school's instructors felt all the time. They officially had my sympathies.

"So, that Sid guy said something that the Spring Festival was in two days." Edward said as we were walking up to my house.

I unlocked my door and stepped in, Edward following me. "Yeah, I know."

"Are you going to go to it?" He asked, walking over to lean on the wall across the room from me.

I sat down on the couch and laid my head back. The restless night was beginning to catch up with and I could feel my eyes drifting shut.

"Course I am. I wouldn't miss it for the world." I let my eyes close. "I thought we discussed this already?"

I felt the couch shift under me, and the next thing I knew, Edward's cold arms were hugging me against his chest. "I was, uh, wondering if you'd like to go with me?"

I pulled back, opening my eyes lazily. "Well, that's kind of obvious, isn't it? I'm not going to unleash a mainlander on the Festival alone."

"No, I meant, like, you and me, like a, uh, date." Edward looked like he was embarrassed or something.

A date? "Oh, okay, I think I get it." I smiled at him, and patted his head. "Sure thing, Edward. I'd like to go with you."

"You understand what I'm asking, right?" He blinked fast for a minute. "I know sometimes you don't use the same termonolgy…."

"Please, Edward. There's not much else to call a date, other than a date. Even here, you ridiculous vampire." I laid back against the couch again. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm exhausted, and I'll need some sleep before I tackle whatever the director sends me in the morning."

The last thing I remembered before I faded away was Edward's hand in my hair, and him whispering three dreadfully pleasant words.

When I woke up, I was staring up at my ceiling. Edward must have carried me up after I fell off. I yawned lightly and rubbed my face. A glance at the window told me it was still night time, but dawn was fast approaching.

I sat up and tensed my muscles, waking up further. Blinking heavily, I stood up.

"Good morning," Edward's voice floated from the corner of the room.

"Edward?" I mumbled, pulling my black tunic on again. I must of taken it off and left my white undershirt on. "Did you stay here all night?"

He nodded. "You squirm a lot in your sleep."

"I know. I've never slept very soundly."

"So dawn is still about two hours away. What do you want to do?" Edward asked me.

I shrugged. Then an idea struck me. "I suppose I could show you something special to me." I muttered, pulling on my toed shoes. "If you want to, that is."

He couldn't seem to stand fast enough. "Yeah, that sounds good."

I smirked at him, and moved to my window. Slinging it open, I jumped out and landed flat on the ground. Edward followed me, and I led him to the woods. His hand was tight around mine, and he seemed overly pleased at just walking with me.

"When Lucky and I were still in school, we didn't like to spend all our time at our houses or the schoolyard, so we decided to make a sanctuary. At first, we tried several different places. Abandoned buildings, large bushes in the civilian sector, and in hole in the Wall. Nothing seemed to work. But, one day, I was upset because people were making fun of me again for not having both parents around, so I stormed off into these woods. After hours of wandering aimlessly, I stumbled across this tree." I stopped in front of the largest tree in the woods. "It was like suddenly my home wasn't back in the building the Capital had built for us ninja. It was here, high in the leaves and on the strong branches of this tree."

"It's a beautiful tree…" Edward mumbled beside me.

I smiled at that. "Indeed it is. I came here the next day, and the next, and the next. After several days of sitting in this tree alone, I finally decided this was where me and Lucky should make out sanctuary. I brought him here and we built that tree house you see up in there. The two of us have come here countless times. And when we befriended Gasher, we brought him here too." My smile turned sad. "This tree has seen so much of my childhood, Edward. It's my most important place." My hand reached out with my wanting it too, and gently touched the bark.

Edward touched it beside me. He remained silent for a while, then asked, "Are you going to tell me about Gasher?"

I winced at his smooth voice saying my dead comrade's name.

"You don't have too." His voice dropped a little. "I don't mean to push."

"No, Edward. I want to tell you." I confirmed. "I just don't know how much I'll be able to say."

"Well, how about you start with how you met him?" He suggested.

I nodded. "Come with me, then." And we scaled the tree together.

* * *

Yay! Some of Gasher's story is next cahpter! But not all. Whoo!


	25. Chapter 25

I have been informed that my last chapter was riddled with mistakes. I must appologize for that, dear readers. I was tired, and anxious to get to bed, but couldn't leave you guys hanging like that anymore. I'll be more careful from here on out. Starting with dear Gasher's story.

* * *

Once Edward and I were situated in the tree, I began: "I first met Gasher when I was nine-years-old. Me and Lucky were outside during our break from school, swinging on the tire swing behind the building. It was a stormy day, with thick wall clouds overhead, threatening us with rain.

"You see, Lucky has always been a sucker for those weaker than him. He always has to play nice guy and help the underdog. I guess it's just something in him that calls out to help them. He's never been very good at being a ninja. At first, anyway. As he's grown, he's gotten better. But he's still too soft.

"We saw Gasher sitting alone at the bottom of the slide, no one anywhere close to him. The rumor was that Gasher had moved here from some far away place across the island. No one knew anything about that part of the island, so they all avoided him. I had never really seen him before, being in a different class then him. I thought nothing of him. Just another kid around.

"But when some of the other kids went over to him and threw sand in his face, I felt a little bad. What had he done to provoke them? One of those kids—he was huge, as far as eleven-year-olds go—picked him up by his collar from the slide, and tossed him down into the gravel. The other kids with him started laughing and cheering for him. They relentless bullied this kid for no apparent reason, other than he was different.

"I was about to say something about getting a teacher, when I realize Lucky isn't by me anymore. He's already crossing the playground to save the boy. I get up and follow him, much slower, to try and stop him from doing something stupid.

"'Hey!' I hear Lucky shout as I come up behind him. 'Why are you picking on this kid?' His voice was clearly outraged. Lucky reached up and shoved the big kid by the shoulder.

"I grabbed Lucky's shoulder and pulled him back. 'Lucky, keep your head.' I instruct him. But he doesn't listen.

"The big kid just picked up the boy again and threw him against the thick metal of the slide. I could hear the breath rushing from his lungs, and a stronger pang of guilt comes over me.

"Before I could do anything, Lucky had the big kid on the rocks, and was punching him in the face for all his arm would give. The kid's friends, however, didn't like that too much and, without a second's warning, had Lucky pinned to the gravel while the big one was kicking him.

"I could see Gasher was astonished at Lucky's actions, and at their consequences. He tried to pry the kids off of Lucky, only to be swatted away. I decided was time for me to step in.

"I took the few steps over, feeling unbelievably angry that these people were tormenting my best friend like that. Reaching down, I easily lifted the big kid off of him, and held him in a tight choke hold.

"The kid clawed at me, gasping and writhing. I turned away from Lucky, who was whimpering in pain now, and tossed the kid down.

"'Stop picking on people," I commanded him."

"The kid actually had the audacity to spit in my face. The anger spiked higher and I struck my fist across his face. His head snapped to the side, and he grabbed his cheek in pain.

"'Go,' I commanded again, reeling my fist back again.

"He didn't move. Instead he began to speak, something defiant, like I couldn't hurt him because I was girl and he was big and a boy. So I nailed him in the chest with my foot, pushing the air from his lungs. He skidded across the rocks, and when he regained his footing, came back after me.

"I caught his fist in mid stroke, and twisted it, watching as his face contorted with pain. I kicked him square in the jaw, and his head snapped back and hit the concrete behind him with a thud. I checked him afterwards, knowing he had a concussion.

"When I turned around, I saw the kids that had been with him were staring at me with wide eyes. I narrowed my eyes slightly, and they skittered away. Coming back over to Lucky, I knelt down and checked him over.

"'Hey, Lucky, you okay?' I asked him, receiving only a few grunts in response. I took that as a good sign and turned to the boy. 'How about you? Are you okay?'

"He nodded quickly. 'I, um, I'm fine. Thank you f-for helping me.' He answered with a weak voice, as if he were frightened I was the one about to kill him.

"I helped him stand and we got Lucky onto his feet. As we were about to leave, our teacher came over, followed by the group of kids who had been beating the two up a second ago. We were instructed to go the Head's office, and our teacher herded us inside.

"We were forced to sit down outside his office and wait for a few moments. I stayed quiet. Lucky and I was no stranger to this place. My quick temper and Lucky's inability to stay still when someone was being wronged got us into a lot of fights.

"'I-I'm sorry to get y-you guys in trouble.' The boy muttered, his face in his hands."

"Lucky waved him off, 'It's no problem, guy. Me and Bella, we're used to it.'

"The boy's eyes widened. 'But you don't even k-know me…?'

"'So?' Lucky shrugged. 'I always fight for the underdog.'

"The boy's face lightened slightly. 'I'm the u-underdog?'

"'Of course. You were being picked on. I had to step in.'

"I laughed at Lucky's valiant behavior. 'Hey, guy," I stepped into the conversation. 'Don't worry too much about it. Lucky would have fought for you, whoever you were.'

"Lucky's eyes widened. 'Here we are, talking civilly with him, and we haven't even introduced ourselves!' He exclaimed to me.

"I leaned forward to look at the boy. 'My apologies, then. I'm Isabella Swan, daughter of the Core commander. But I'd prefer it if you called me Bella.'

"Lucky jumped out his seat and stood beside me. 'And I'm Lucky Delmonty, son of the infamous master blacksmith Kerian Delmonty.' He announced proudly.

"The boy nodded to both of us. 'I'm, uh, Gasher Practom, son of… my dad.'

"Lucky burst out with laughter at his response, and I couldn't help but smile. Who your parents were was everything as a student. To have nothing remarkable about them was like saying you lived in a box. But he was so clueless about it.

"I was the first to say something afterwards. 'Well, Gasher, it's a pleasure to meet you. What year are you in?'

"'My eighth.' He mumbled.

"Lucky's face turned into a blinding smile. 'Same as us! You should hang with us more, Gasher.'

"After we got out of there, all with stern warnings of don't-do-it-again's, we do. Everyday, Gasher comes to eat lunch with us. He sits with us on the swing, and walks with us home. Slowly, his stutter begins to fade away. I learned that they spoke a different language on the other side of the island, and his stutter was because he had to think about what words went where.

"Lucky was pleased to have another boy to talk and spend time with. I was happy to have someone else who tolerated me. Even back then, my sarcasm was sharp and my attitude unyielding. But Gasher was unaware of that.

"We moved up the ladder together, becoming ninth-years together, finally getting the same class assignment. As the year went on, we became even closer. Gasher and I were almost never seen apart. He was my very best friend. Sometimes, I think we were even closer than myself and Lucky, who I've known forever.

"When it came time for graduation, we all made a pact to stay best friends, even if we didn't get our first year assignments together. The custom for our graduation ceremony is for all the students that passed the final exams to stand in the square of the civilian sector, as our Head reads the names. We step forward, receive a ribbon, and step to the side. Afterwards, we linger while the crowds disperse, and receive our assignments.

"Teams are only formed for the first year of our ninja careers. After we get the bases covered of how we're supposed to work, we're sent off into a series of trials, depending on the branch we want to enter.

"We were very fortunate. Lucky, Gasher, and I all got assigned to Yuju Hatera."

I was aware my voice was beginning to shake a little. Talking about Gasher was bringing back the horrible images of his death. Try as I might, they never seemed to fade away.

Edward could tell this was upsetting me, and held me close. I bit my tongue as I tried to coax myself into saying something again. The words had left my mouth, and I was thirsty.

"It's okay, Bella." He tightened his arm around me. "You don't have say anything more, if you don't want to."

I opened my mouth to say something about I did want to go on, but couldn't find the words, when the tree shook under me. I looked down to see a masked ninja decked in black, staring up at us.

I dropped down to a lower branch. "State your business." I said. I recognized the garb from the core, and realized that the sun was now up. My story had taken a while.

"I bring a message from the director, Miss Swan. I mean no interruption." He bowed deeply.

I landed on the grass in front of him softly, and took the scrolled paper from his outstretched hand. "Thank you." I said formally, nodding to him. "You are dismissed."

He bowed again, and took off into the woods. Edward landed beside me a second later.

"Come on, vampire-boy, story time will have to wait. I've got a letter to read."

* * *

Originally, I meant to have her reading this letter and telling Gasher's half story. But it didn't work out that way. Oh well. Next time. More Gasher will be coming later though, no worries.


	26. Chapter 26

Whoo! More ninja! Don't you love ninjas?_

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___

Isabella Swan,

_Obviously, this letter is from the director._

_Report to the Core training ground at 9:00_

_for a full assessment of your skills. Here_

_you will meet your troops as well._

_Try to make a good impression?_

_The Director_

Edward and I arrived back to my house with nothing else happening. We didn't even talk. I'm sure Edward was trying to think through my relationship with my old friend, Gasher. Telling someone about your dead best friend was never fun.

The clock in my kitchen read just before eight o'clock. I still had plenty of time before I had to be at the Core. I made a quick breakfast of fruit and some dried meat I had bought yesterday. After I was done eating, I found Edward sprawled out on the couch by himself.

I stood over him, my eyebrows tilted. He smiled up at me, but it was a sad smile.

"Edward, don't dwell on my story, please?" I asked him, leaning on the back of the couch, facing away from him. "I probably should have warned you that no story I ever tell you will be pleasant."

"How did he die?" Edward asked.

I flinched, my shoulders twitching up. "I was careless on a mission…. I couldn't save him." I muttered, almost without actually forming the words. That little part of my heart that was melting, thanks to some vampire lying behind me on the couch, ached horribly at the memories. I silently cursed myself again for being this weak.

I waited for the next question, but Edward stayed silent. I was thankful to him. I needed to get myself back together for my trip to the Core. I went upstairs and packed my shoulder bag with all my ninja gear. Staring at my full bag, I felt a wave of nostalgia come over me. I missed packing for missions.

When I came back down, it was eight thirty, but it only took about seven minutes to get to the Core. Alice and Jasper were waiting downstairs with Edward, talking about some animal they had found in the forest the other night hunting.

"Oh, you found the Capital's famous skittler, huh?" I grinned coming to lean on the arm of the couch. "Those things are odd little animals. Good trackers, though."

Jasper looked up at me. "How so?"

"Well, you saw them. They have noses the size of your head. Their eyes are a thousand times better than mine. And their eight legs allow them to be completely silent." I smirked. "Plus their easier to ride than a horse. Not jolting around as much. And they fight with you."

Jasper seemed astounded with information. "This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder."

I shrugged. "Yeah, well, the States got pretty weird to me." I checked the clock again restlessly. "Well, I've got to be at the Core. You three take it easy, or something. Feel free to walk around town. I have no idea when I'll be back, but it'll probably be before night fall."

With that, I waved goodbye and set out for the Core.

As I was walking, old images came to be. Me, Lucky, and Gasher all walking down this same road, talking about how much we wanted to get into the Core. It was understandable that I wanted to be part of the Core, seeing as I was chasing my mother, but the others would have been just as useful elsewhere. When I asked Gasher why he wanted to be in the Core he answered:

"I don't like frontal confrontation, Bella. I would rather kill my enemy in creative ways, than look into their eyes as I drain life from them."

At the time, I thought nothing of it. I told myself he would get over his fear of killing people. Shaking off Gasher's answer, I asked Lucky the same question.

"Like hell I'd leave you in the Core alone." He answered, puffing out his chest. "They say two is better than one, don't they? Well, it'll be the three of us forever. That'd be even better, wouldn't it?"

I smiled lightly at that memory. I found out later that Gasher was with Lucky with the not leaving me alone in the Core. Lucky was always brass and loud. It was miracle the boy had made it this far.

But Gasher? After we had brought him out of his shell, he seemed like the perfect ninja. Always in control of his emotions on the field, even though we were doing menial tasks. He was silent when he walked, breathed. The boy could sneak up on a tiger and shove a knife down his throat before the beast even heard him.

I missed him so much.

I physically punched myself, forcing myself to focus on the pain instead. I was walking into the outskirts of the Core sector. Our training ground was above ground, unlike everything else. Why? Because the walls were broken all the time, and it was much easier to fix above ground than below.

The director was waiting just outside the building, and tilted his head in acknowledgement. He led me inside, where I found scores of ninja sitting in the stands on the far side of the training ring. I kept my head up, like my mother always did.

"Troops, this is Isabella Swan. I'm sure most of those just returning from the field know her well. She was second in command of the Core's field troops." The director announced. "Now, would any one like to come down and help us assess her skills?"

Several hands went up. I was given permission to pick, and chose the closest to me. The man stepped up, towering over me by a foot. His muscles were thick under his garb, and his face was heavily scarred. To a lesser ninja, he would have been very intimidating. To me? He was a poser.

"I am Ikan Legon." He announced, bowing. "I'm pleased to be your first fighting partner."

No you aren't, I thought to myself. You don't believe a teenager ninja can kick your face in. Well, it's time for the fun to begin.

I bow back, higher than he did. I step back, readying my bare feet against the matt. I placed my arms up into a fighting stance, and smirked. The man mimicked me, and the director shouted for us to begin.

Ikan rushed me, making the first move. I easily side stepped the big man, shoot my arm out to catch his leg, and flip him over again. He landed on his back with a thud, and I quickly shifted his leg forward and leaned on it, pushing it past where it should naturally bend. With my other hand, I grabbed the man's throat, winning a grunt of pain from him.

He gasped out a withdrawal, and I got off of him. He rubbed his throat and limped back to his seat. Another man volunteered, and I called him down. He introduced himself as well and we readied for the fight.

When the director shouted for us to begin, I let him come to me. He was more careful than the last one, but not careful enough. He swung his fist out over his chest, and allowed me to grab the hand coming toward me and twist it. He shrank to the ground in momentary pain, and I took the opportunity to send my foot into his face.

He flew back against the padded walls with a grunt, and resigned as well. And on it went. One man down, another stepped up. I took all of them down in less than a minute. I noticed, however, that none of the women were volunteering. I was almost disappointed. Maybe they would provide a challenge.

Finally, the director called for one more fighter. I was breathing silently, a little winded. The room was silent for another moment, before a small, fragile-looking hand rose.

I smiled when its own stood. Yukima Ohish. My old rival back in my entry days. She stepped down and measured up to me. We were about the same height, with the same muscle structure. The question was, how well did she use hers?

We launched directly into a series of punches and kicks at the director's call. I made sure that none of her hits connected with my body, and deflected them with my forearms and hands. Several of my punches hit her in the stomach, and by the time we broke apart, she was gasping. She rushed at me again, launching into a horizontal tackle.

I ducked down low at the last second, hearing the air split above my head. I sprung back up as she rolled forward onto her feet, back facing me. Wrong way, buddy.

I quickly secured my arms around her shoulders, hugging my wrists together, squeezing her. She choked slightly and thrashed, trying to get me off of her. Instead, I lifted her up over my shoulder, and tossed her into the wall as well.

She hit, slid down, and sprung back to her feet. I had to give her some credit. She never gave up. She thrust a slow punch at my face, and I caught it easily, gripping her hand tightly. With one hand incapacitated and her slower reflexes, I hooked my other fist into her stomach, listening to the last bit of air she'd managed to breathe in leave. She crumpled to the ground, and muttered her resignation as well.

I smirked at the director. "Well, sir?"

"Very well done, Isabella." He clapped, causing the audience to clap as well. "You are indeed your mother's child."

* * *

Yay! Ninja fighting! It's supposed to snow tomorrow too! And I have book club on Thursday! And soccer practice! Lots of exciting stuff this week! Enjoy yours!


	27. Chapter 27

So, I got my class ring a few days ago! Pretty happy about that! Snow day yesterday. I watched How to Train your Dragon for the seventeenth time(yes I counted ;D) and played Kingdom Hearts. Joy! So here ya go!

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It was dark when I finally got home. As I was walking back to my house, the civilian sector was lighting up with the lamps for the Festival. The streets gave of a low glow of golden light, mimicking the shine of fireflies. I stopped in front of one shop and just stared at the paper lanterns strung above my head.

The Festival made the Capital more beautiful than usual. This was the one time in the year that I actually felt happy. The Festival was my favorite time of year.

And I was going with Edward.

That thought put a bigger smile on my face. I hummed the theme of spring as I stepped lightly home. Today had been a relatively good day. I got to show off a little for the director, beat some face in, and now I get to see the lights.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned to look. Lucky came running up to me, his usual insanely large grin on his face. "Hey, Bella!"

"Hello, Lucky." I greeted back.

"You seem cheerful." He noticed dropping into step with me. "Have a good day at the Core?"

I nodded. "The director had me spar with some of the troops."

Lucky laughed lightly. "It's a little funny to think of you as my commander now."

I shot him a sarcastic glance. "I've always ranked higher than you." I pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess so." He frowned. "That's not fair."

"Maybe you should work harder, instead of goofing off?"

Lucky scratched the back of his head, laughing loudly now. "Speaking of goofing off, how about the Festival? You excited?"

That earned him a punch. "Aren't I always excited? It's the Festival, Lucky."

"Right…" He chuckled a little more then fell silent. "So, I've been hanging out with those vampires lately."

"Yeah? And…?" I prodded. He obviously had something to tell me.

"Well, they don't seem so bad. After we got back from the states, I looked up some information in the library, and the books said vampires are evil and only seek human blood." Lucky tilted his head to side, closing his eyes in thought. "But those three have never even looked at a human as food. As far as I can tell. And you seem to really trust them."

"I do trust them, Lucky." I shrugged. "And those vampires, they grow on you. I don't think it's possible to not like them." I smirked a little. "And as for their diet, they only drink animal blood. And they actually interact with humans."

"Why don't the histories say anything about animal-drinking vampires? Surely, not all the vampires back in the day were evil. I'm sure not all the Pontas want to annihilate us." Lucky stopped walking and leaned against a building. "No one group of people is entirely evil. That's nonsense."

I leaned back next to him. "I don't about back then, Lucky, but I do know that from the human-drinking vampires I've come into contact with, they're pretty vicious. They probably aren't all bad, but they can't control that blood lust."

Lucky didn't respond. He seemed to be thinking something over really hard. That certainly wasn't like him.

I nudged his shoulder. "You look troubled. Even more so than when you walked up."

"You said that the vampires couldn't control their blood lust." He muttered, his eyes trained on the concrete beneath our feet. "Well, is it, like, if they see the blood, they go mad, or just the sight of someone who's… 'tasty'?"

"I don't know, Lucky. How in the world would I know that? I'm not a vampire." I gave him a look.

He turned his head away. "You kind of are." He muttered, barely loud enough for me to hear.

"What?" I punched his shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Think about it, Bella." He turned to face me. His usual bright eyes were solemn, and his mouth was set in a frown. "You can't wait to get into the field. You enjoy the spilling of enemy blood. And sometimes, you lose control of your anger."

"Lucky!" I punched his shoulder again, harder, making him stumble back. "How can you say that? I enjoy my job, is that a bad thing? Being a ninja, it's what I do, Lucky. It's what you do, too."

"On missions, do you see anyone else volunteering the bloodiest route? Anyone else jumping at the chance to go on a mission that involves putting their lives at risk to kill a strongly guarded politician?" He jumped back in my face. "Think about it, Bella. Remember what I said on the boat about it all exploding."

I snarled at my best friend. "I'm not a crazed killer, Lucky." I growled at him. "I don't appreciate you insinuating that I am."

"I'm not saying you're crazy." Lucky was staying calm. For a change. "I'm just saying, you're running on that road, Bell."

The muscled I had loosened during the sparing session were tight again, with anger at my best friend. "Where is this all coming from?"

"Look, Bella, I understand you love Edward more than anything else. But you… you're charging your death sentence by volunteering to command the Core. Those Ponta freaks, they want you dead more than we want them away from the Capital. They already outnumber us a hundred to one. You go out into the field, and they'll all line up to stab you. Then what would Edward do? Go all crazy vampire and eat them all." He said, that hard, determined look coming across his face. "And the same is vice versa. You'd go mad if Edward got hurt. Leading your vampire friends into battle isn't your smartest idea ever."

My head was spinning. "Lucky, you keep changing the subject. What do vampires have to do with me going crazy?"

"The vampires are the ones making you go crazy!" Lucky practically shouted at me. "They're jumbling up your emotions!" He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I like them just as much as the next guy, but either you have to stop fighting how you feel about your vampire, or you've got to cut him off. You can't remain as emotionless Bella with your love interest hanging around."

I shoved my palm in my eyes, rubbing fiercely. "I still don't understand, Lucky."

"Bella. I've told you this already. No human can go about denying their emotions. Not even you. Something will always get to you. Always. And that just so happens to be Edward." He put his hand on my head. "Bella, he's still a vampire. Not human. Not like us, no matter how much you care for him. Either let the emotionless act go, or let him go. If you don't, it'll all explode. And then you won't be Bella anymore."

And he walked off. I stared after him. What had that meant? Lucky was never one for lectures like that. He never thought too much. But, he had put some real thought into this.

My head started pounding. He was right about some things. I did enjoy the conflict of battle, but I didn't seek it out, did I? I didn't necessarily enjoy killing my enemies. I like a job well done, but that's about it.

Gah, this didn't make any sense!

I quickly shoved it to the corner of my mind, and walked home, smashing stray rocks along the way.

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Short chapter. Meh. Mostly filler and forshadowing. Still, I hope you enjoyed it! BTW, all Pendragon and/or Avatar fans, Ive got an awesome idea for a crossover fic. It'll probably come up in the next few days!


	28. Chapter 28

Cheering erupted outside my window, startling me awake. I didn't even remember coming home yesterday. Sitting up, I saw Edward in the same place he was last night, in the chair across the room. His body was still, not even breathing, like a rock.

"Good morning, Edward." I greeted, rubbing my eyes and stretching.

"Morning, Bella." He smiled brightly at me, his body becoming animated again.

I stood and quickly started getting ready for the day. "What time is it?"

"Around seven o'clock." Edward answered automatically. "Do you have anywhere to be today?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't think so. The celebration starts at midday, so we'll probably want to go the civilian sector before then."

"What happens at noon? You said something about fireworks a few days ago. Surely those don't happen during the day."

"Of course not, Edward." I said, tying my sash across my waist. "But there will be food stands set up, free samples everywhere. And a parade will come through." I smiled a little. "Musicians will set up in the intersections and play music. The day celebrations help get us ready for the night."

Edward's head had tilted to the side. "You guys seriously enjoy spring, don't you?"

I nodded at him. "It's my favorite time of year. Everything is bright and new in the spring."

"So you've said before." He stood up and came over to me. "To be honest, this really doesn't sound like your scene."

"My scene?" I raised my eyebrows. "Why am I filming a movie?"

Edward laughed softly. "No, I mean, this festival doesn't sound like something you'd like. You're usually so down on the world."

I shrugged and slid my shoes on. "Am I not allotted one day a year to be cheerful about something?"

"No, no. That's not what I meant—"

"I know, Edward." I smirked at him. "I'm kidding."

"Oh, okay." His face brightened up.

We went downstairs and joined Alice and Jasper in my living room. They were already talking about what they wanted to do with the Festival. I told them about what booths were going to be set up during the day, and where the fireworks were to be seen.

By the time I got done explaining everything, it was almost midday, so the four of us headed out to the civilian sector. We were all in good spirits, or at least I was. The spring air was perfect and soothing. Had we been in the states, I would have worried about the sun and my vampires, but with so many foreign people coming in for this Festival, no one would pay any mind to the sparkles. They probably wouldn't even be the only ones.

The sector was crowded, just like every year. The regular villagers were behind booths, smiling up at customers from the outskirts of the Atarian lands. Children were playing with each other, knocking balls off the walls of the stores.

Many eyes turned to me when I walked in the crowd. Cheers were raised to me, and I nodded modestly. The people enjoyed celebrating their ninja protectors. I saw a group of ninja enter behind me and the cheering rose to a deafening roar.

Edward laughed beside me, grabbing my hand. "People really love their ninjas here."

I smirked. "Hey, what's not to love?" I asked sarcastically. "I mean, have you seen us? We're awesome."

Edward's smile blinded me. He squeezed my hand and I pulled him over to a booth that had funny children's hats. I made him try a few on, and mentally committed the picture of Edward in a cartoon pirate hat.

The daylight burned on. Alice and I dragged Edward and Jasper around the sector, with me leading them to all the fun stuff. I stopped a few times to grab a small snack served at a booth, but tried to avoid the food for my companions' sake.

As much as I loved the Festival before, I don't think I had ever laughed at it. I smiled briefly as people praised me for protecting them, and as they gave me food, but the sheer joy I felt right now was completely new to me. I hadn't been this happy since… I don't think I'd ever been this happy.

My vampires were the best.

Sometime in the middle of the celebration, Lucky joined us, wearing a bright gold tunic over his ninja pants. No doubt his mother had made him wear it. The five of us wandered around as the light began to dim. The sun was just about to touch the tree line. Only an hour or so until the fireworks started.

"Come on, guys. We want a good spot to watch the fireworks." I said, pulling Edward behind me.

We picked a spot at the front of the crowd that was already forming in the field where the view was the best. Everyone could see clearly from here, and we even had some room to stretch out and lay in the grass.

"Aren't fireworks Chinese?" Jasper asked, resting his head on his hands as he laid back.

I shrugged. "Americans use them too, right? Just because they were developed by one country, doesn't mean another can't use it."

"But this place is so… feudal Japan. Fireworks don't seem to fit in."

Alice threw a rock at his face, pinging it off his cheek. "This is not feudal Japan, Jasper, and you know it."

He shrugged and threw the rock away from us. "It's certainly not modern Japan."

Now it was my turn to hit him in the face with a rock. "Jasper, this isn't Japan at all. Sure, some of our culture is derived from the Japanese, but there are several differences."

Lucky chimed in, "Japan doesn't have any ninja anymore."

"Does Japan need ninjas anymore?" Edward asked rhetorically.

"They could." Lucky leaned back on his hands. "I mean, some of the news that floats in about the politics on the mainlands is pretty harsh. It sounds like they could use some heavy duty assassins."

"We have assassins on the mainland." Jasper sat up. "They just stay hidden. If their identities were revealed, their lives would be sought after."

"You think our lives aren't sought?" Lucky asked, incredulous.

"You certainly don't keep your identities hidden."

"Yes we do!" Lucky was getting worked up. "What do you think those face hoods are for? We never show our faces on missions."

I elbowed him. "Some of us are not even known to our targets."

Edward chuckled softly. "Those poor beings. Never knowing their killer."

I shrugged, watching the sun continue to fade behind the trees in the distance. It was almost time for the works to start. My eyes drifted over the lazing crowd behind us. People were lying around, just like us, enjoying friends and family. I frowned a little at the thought of family. I wondered what my dad would say if he knew of this….

Suddenly, I had an idea. I stood up quickly and pulled Edward with me. "Come on, I have a better idea." I told him and pulled him through the crowd, trying not to step on people's hands and belongings.

I pulled him far back behind the gathered group of people. Just on the outskirts of the field, a few trees stood, strong and thick. I climbed up and sat on a branch wide enough to hold the both of us.

Edward just stared at me from the ground. "Are we really going to be able to see the fireworks from a tree?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. But were you really going to watch them anyway?"

Edward frowned playfully. "No, not really."

"Then get up here!" I waved him up, a smirk still playing on my face.

Edward climbed up beside me, and lay against the trunk. I couldn't help but lean up against him. The soft cotton of his fake ninja clothing rubbed against my face, and I smiled.

"You know, when I was kid, I used to sit in this tree and watch everyone else watch the fireworks." I told him, reliving it all.

"Why didn't you watch the fireworks?"

I shrugged again. "I don't know. Back then, I was so focused on being the best ninja in the Capital, I couldn't stop training my brain for even a moment." I sighed lightly. "As I got older, the fireworks proved more interesting, so I watched them. The way they lit up the sky, and filled the air with their cracking noises."

Edward put his arm around me. The smirk I'd had plastered on my face faded into something warmer. It almost matched the breeze coming through the newly bloomed leaves.

I leaned forward slightly, my mouth suddenly begging to be on his. He caught my eyes and smiled back, before leaned down and capturing my lips.

That familiar fuzzy feeling was back. I heard an explosion behind me, and registered it as the fireworks starting. Cheers erupted from the crowd in front of us. But I didn't care about them anymore. It was only me and Edward again.

We pulled back after a while, my breathing heavy from lack of oxygen. My eyes didn't leave his face as I opened my mouth to say those words I knew he'd be dying to hear.

"Edward, I—"

_Kaboom!_

My head snapped away from his face, looking toward the firework launch site. That was no small fireball meant for entertainment. That sounded like….

"A cannon." I muttered. I was vaguely aware that Edward was still incredibly close to my face.

That first explosion wasn't a firework, it was the cannon. And the cheers weren't cheers at all. They were screams. The field in front of me was no longer filled with resting people; it was filled with frightened people screaming to get away.

The Ponta army had arrived.


	29. Chapter 29

Yeah! Attack time! Whoo!

* * *

My feet hit the ground at a full on sprint. I cut through the crowd, trying to avoid hitting the citizens. I had to find someone to help me gather the ninja.

Oh, why now? I cursed the Ponta silently. They had to have the worse timing in the world.

I grabbed a black-clad ninja from the crowd, and pulled him closer to hear over the screams. "Get the innocents down to the bunker!" He nodded swiftly and started directing everyone toward the center of town.

I dashed toward the Core sector, on the look out for any other ninja. I met few, and realized those Ponta freaks really had good time for an offensive strike. The forces were scattered throughout the city, with hardly any hope to gather them back together.

Vaguely, I heard Edward's footsteps behind me. I wondered where Lucky had gone, when I skidded to a stop in front of the training area. I heard a mass of voices inside and broke the doors to find my ninja standing there, gearing up for the patrols.

"Hey," I shouted over the noise. "Get to it! We're under attack! The enemy has cannons!"

Silence split through the group, and then the sounds of armor plate being put on hastily and weapons locking into position sounded throughout the room. I ran over to the corner and grabbed my own armored chest plate and slid it on quickly.

In school, we were trained to put on our gear in less than two minutes in the event of an emergency. I must say, I was never more thankful then right now for that training. It had been tedius back then, now, it could save our city.

Once my shin guards were strapped on tightly, I sprinted out the door, grabbing a thin katana sword from the wall. When I hit the pavement outside, orders were being shouted from the rooftops. Edward was standing just outside the building and grabbed me as I shot past him.

"Edward, I have to get out there now!" I shouted at him over the increasing noise of firing cannons and orders yelled. "I don't have time for this!"

"I know!" He shouted back, straining to be heard. "I was just wondering what you wanted me to do now. You are the commander."

My mind kicked in and immediately I had a strategy. "Vampires are impervious to metal, right?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Why?"

"I want you, Alice, and Jasper out there beyond the wall. Take out the cannons. Do anything you can to prevent them from firing. No firepower means a more even playing field. Go." I ordered him, and turned away, only to have him catch my wrist again. "Edward, damn it, just go!" I snapped at him.

He leaned in quickly, kissed me, then nodded. "I'll be back before you know it."

"Just get the job done!" I yelled, and launched myself to the roof.

Ninja were streaming by me now, trying to find a way to prevent the cannon balls from hitting the buildings. I ran past them all, headed for the Wall.

"Archers!" I called out to the crowds. "All ninjas with even a little arching abilities, get up on the wall and shoot down as many enemy soldiers as you can!"

A group of people rushed by me, jumping up onto the Wall. I heard their strings pull back and fire. Nodding to myself, I turned directions, heading for the Government sector and the Gates. Surely, I could find some action there.

I wasn't prepared for what I saw.

Fire had engulfed the area. The government buildings were blazing with the Ponta brutes raising their weapons in triumph. I flipped off a roof before it could catch and collapse under me, and landed silently behind one. In one fluid motion, I unsheathed my sword, and slit his back open. He fell to the ground without a sound, dead on contact.

I rushed out on to the street, into the mass of enemy soldiers, and started swinging my sword, felling as many men as I could. To my left, I saw several others joining me with small knives and spears. Battle cries rang out against the burning walls nearby. The enemy lashed out blindly, not caring who they struck with their weapons.

In one swipe, I killed three men that were pressuring me. I stood for a moment, listening. Cannon fire was still going, but there wasn't as many launches going off. Edward and the others were working on that. I glanced up to see the archers, and noticed that several of them were falling themselves, but not as many as the enemy's long range.

"Push them forward and out of town!" I shouted out to my fighters. "Get some help for the fires!"

Instantly, there were fifteen men carrying large buckets immerging from HQ. I turned away and focused back on the battle. The sizzling and cracking of extinguished flames filled my ears along with sounds of battle.

Blood pounded through my body, heating up with every strike I pulled on the enemy. I could feel the sadistic grin coming over my set mouth as I felled them. The Ponta forces were falling back quickly, and soon we had shoved them out the Gates and into the clearing around the Wall.

Looking around, I saw that the force they had sent was fairly large. I wasn't even aware that the Ponta had this many soldiers left. They truly were a demon clan.

My focus faded for a moment as I surveyed the area, and my sword was knocked out of my hands. It skittered several feet away, and when I reached to it, a hard kick connected to my stomach. Luckily, I had heard the air break seconds before and tightened the muscles to prevent losing my breath. I simply slid a few feet back, my body naturally falling into a combat position.

Seeing the attacker, I recognized him immediately. His dark eyes and light hair rang out in my memory. This was the field commander for the Ponta army, the strongest man in their arsenal. His large frame made him intimidating off the field, and on it, his brute force was deadly. None of the people who had met him on the field had ever lived.

"Hello, Isabella Swan." He muttered in a deep, smooth voice. "I hear you were exiled."

I glared at him, tensing the muscles in my arms.

"No need for such hostility, Isabella." He smirked, an evil glint in his eyes. "We only want to eradicate your clan from the world."

"Like hell that'd happen. You have no chance, Harmet." I growled.

"Really? We have already captured your mother. We have her locked up nice and tight. I doubt even the most famous of Atarian ninja could reach her now."

I shot my fist forward, connecting with the man's nose. There was sickening crack as his head snapped with my hit. A broken nose. Sweet.

"Oh, someone's touchy about their mommy, huh?" He twisted his nose back into position, the cracking sound coming back.

"You shut up about her," I snarled, anger making my fists shake in their defensive position. "I'll kill you in a heartbeat."

"Is that a promise?" He goaded.

"You tell me!" I shouted, and I launched myself for him again.

I hit his chest with my fist, and powered as much adrenaline as I dared into it. The only give I got from him was step back.

"Is that all?"

Instead of my fist, I kicked out at him. I hit him in the stomach and he stepped back farther, his face contorting a little with pain. Bits of red tinted my vision as I lashed out again.

So many of my hits were ineffective. He barely moved at all when I connected a fist with his face. He was a monster in a human skin.

"Come now, Isabella, dear companion. Surely you must be better than that?" He taunted again.

My anger levels were quickly rising. I could barely think straight anymore. Lucky's voice broke through my rage for a moment, '_It'll all break free eventually._' If it were going to, now would be a good time to do it.

Vaguely, I heard the fire of the cannons die off, and the enemy's numbers were dwindling. But none of that really mattered. The army would fall apart without their commander.

"Face it, Isabella!" Harmet smirked at me. "You are going to join the others I have killed today."

I lashed out again, blindly, unaware of what was happening around. My only thoughts were whether I was breaking the man's insanely thick skin. Draw his blood, I told myself. Draw his blood and take his life.

I would not be just another notch carved into his blade.

Harmet countered me now, throwing as many punches and hits as I was. But my anger had awakened my instincts, and my agility rose significantly. I easily dodged all of his blows, and dealt more to him.

He was going to die today. By my hand.

My hits were coming faster now. He was unable to block them, and I swiftly launched my limbs out, catching his sides and face. Determination ruled over me. Every hit I nailed on him fueled my earlier resolve. The more I hit him, the less he could counter, and the less chance he had to stop my heart.

The anger was sitting there, side-by-side with my resolve. There was nothing this man could do against me anymore.

There was a cry from somewhere on the field. A familiar voice crying. My heart almost stopped then and there. I hadn't heard that voice in nearly—

Harmet caught me off guard and his fist connected with my body. I flew back, unable to grab anything to stop my backward motion. My back hit the ground with a thud, and stars shone in front of my eyes.

I scrambled to get back up, when his foot came to push me back down. The sole of his boot rested on my chest, constricting my lungs and shallowing my breath. I struggled against him but to no effect.

This was it.

"Anything to say, Isabella?" He shouted into my face. "Last words are to be said now."

My hands searched out beside me. Surely, there had to be a fallen knife, or a piece of sharp cut armor. Nothing. I couldn't find anything.

Then the tips of my fingers found something. The familiar grip fabric came to me. My sword. Now if only I could get my hand around it….

Harmet had drawn his sword, and raised it above his head. "Victoria will reward me greatly when I bring your corpse to her."

Victoria. "What's up with that girl?" I muttered. "She's everywhere."

"She will conquer this island. And your people. With the deciding factor out of the way, this war will end quickly, with the Ponta at the top!"

His arms raised higher, and I knew his was ready to deal the final blow. Just as the tip was about to come down on my heart, my hand closed around the hilt of my sword.

I gripped it tight, and jerked it upward. I had planned to simply maim the man to prevent him from ending my life, but when a sucking noise came to my ears, I opened my eyes, unaware I had shut them.

There Harmet lay against my blade, a bit sticking out from his back. Blood ran down the steel, and dripped onto my face. My face froze in shock. Impaled. What a way to go.

"Bella!" I heard a voice call me, but I was still in shock. My hands gave out, letting the blade fall against my side, Harmet's body coming with it.

Black came over my eyes for a moment, and I felt the great weight of a dead body lifted off of me. I sat up fast, trying to regain my breath. A sharp pain shot up my torso, and I cried out.

"Bella!" Edward came over to me, holding me up. "Oh my god, Bella."

I looked down at my body to see HArmet's sword had connected with me. The blade had lodged itself into my stomach. Blood was pouring out of the wound, and a dizziness came over me.

"Damn it," I cursed. "He got me good." I poked to wound, wincing. "Edward, I don't think it's too deep. No organ damage. Stop shaking."

"Your blood, Bella." He muttered.

Oh right. His attraction to my blood's scent. Damn, I'd forgotten about that. "Right." I gasped, moving to stand up. I had to get to the med tent fast.

"You can't walk, Bella!" Edward cried out. "Please."

I waved off his arm. "Edward, I don't want you to lose control of yourself around my blood. I can do this." I took a step forward and the pain came back tenfold. My body failed and fell to the ground. An agonized cry rang out, and I realized after a moment, it was mine. Damn it.

Edward picked me up easily, and as he settled me against his chest, I knew he had forced himself to stop breathing. I wanted to tell him to put me down, but the breath I was drawing now seared with pain.

I silently vowed that if I should meet up with Harmet again, I would kick his slimy teeth in.

"Edward," I mumbled.

"No, don't talk."

"I'm not going to die, Edward." I gasped. "I've had much worse wounds then this."

He looked down at me. "How are you not unconscious yet?"

I shrugged, then winced. "High pain threshold?" I suggested.

Edward and I had reached the med tent, and the healer gasped when they saw my gaping wound. Now that the adrenaline from battle was dying down, my sight was patched with black, and I could feel my mind getting fuzzier.

"Thanks, Sister." I mumbled, even though she probably had no idea what I was saying.

I had just enough time to hear everyone command me to be quiet, when the black seeped in and I fell unconscious.

* * *

I feel a little like Bella right now. The passing out from pain part. Soccer is really killer some days. Especially when you shred your leg slide tackling. Fairly long chapter this time, guys. Hope you liked it!


	30. Chapter 30

Whoo! So, I had a soccer meeting today, and it was fun. Since season will start soon, I might not be able to update on my usual schedz, but I will try. I might bring my laptop on road trips, but I don't know yet. WHatevs, the story must go on!

* * *

Searing pain split across my body, and I ground my teeth together to keep from screaming. What was this? I stretched my senses out and heard breathing beside me, as well a muted conversation.

Something was tugging at the back of my barely conscious mind. I tried to wake myself up to remember, but it was like an old nightmare: it just keeps you hanging there inside even after you know it's a dream.

Finally, I felt something prodding into my arm, and my eyes shot open. A medic ninja stood over me, a small needle stuck into my forearm. He looked over, saw that I was awake, and grabbed a clipboard. I glared at him and he left.

Ugh, I was in the hospital. The events prior to my hospitalization came rushing back. The attack on the city, the fight with their field commander, my killing him.

My stomach let off a dull ache, and I shifted up onto my elbows. I pushed the covers down to see my middle covered with bandages and medicines. Groaning to myself, I flung the covers down all the way, and slid my feet over the side.

Over all the years I'd been a ninja, I'd gotten several blade wounds. Mostly in my arms, but they all hurt the same. I could tell by the ache that this one was already healing, rapidly, and nothing was serious wrong.

I was just about to step down from the bed and walk around, when my door burst open. Ninja sense kicking in, I spun around quickly, on my feet, down in a fighting stance. It took me all of three seconds to register the searing pain coming back.

I couldn't fight the doubling over it caused in me, and cold hand came to my shoulder. Edward was here.

"Ah," I gasped, standing back up slowly, holding my wound. "Edward."

"You shouldn't be standing." He exclaimed, lifting me against my will and setting me back on the bed. "You could open your wounds again!"

I scoffed, crossing my legs over the sheets. "It's already closed and healing fast, Edward. Don't worry about it." I told him, folding my arms.

"You just collapsed in pain!" He tried to get me to lay back down, but I sat straighter.

"From moving to quickly after the injury. I didn't say I was completely healed yet, Edward." I reached out and punched his shoulder. "Take it easy, vampire-boy."

Edward's face was set into a worried grimace every time I moved the slightest bit. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. Deciding to ease his mind a little, I leaned back against the wall near my bed.

Edward pulled a chair next to the bed, and sat quietly. I took an inventory of my other injuries. A few scraps on my arms, a small patch of burned skin on my ankle. Nothing major. I'd probably be out of the hospital before the week was over.

I held my hands up to look at them. My knuckles were covered with the shiny freshly grown skin after they were split. Suddenly, I remembered the way I felt as Harmet was about to kill me. The sudden grip of fear in my heart, the ache in my hands to fight back and cheat death.

"Hey, Edward," I mumbled, still staring at my hands. "What would you have done if me and Harmet had killed each other?"

His eyes fell. "I… uh…." Edward turned his face away from me and a troubled look came to his face. "I don't know."

"There would be no one to take revenge on." I said. "He was going to kill me. I saw it; he wanted my blood. He had me beat."

"Don't talk like that, Bella." Edward whispered harshly, almost growling. "You didn't die, that's all that matters."

"But it would have, Edward." I clenched my hands, seeing the veins in my hands pop out. "It will, eventually, Edward. All ninja—"

His hand came over my mouth, and anger flared in his eyes. "Don't say stuff like that, Bella. Please. I was scared to death when you fainted in that tent. You have no idea how slow your heart started beating." His breathing hitched, like he was about to cry, but no tears fell. "I couldn't stand it if you were to die."

I reached up and removed his hand. I gripped his wrist hard. "Edward, if we're going to be together like we are, you'll have to get used to the fact that every breath I breathe could be my last." I moved my eyes to catch his, determination reigning in my mind. "I'm the best ninja on this island. I'm the biggest threat to the enemy. They want me dead." I growled. "But you have to know that I'd fight it every second. Just like I fought Harmet to the end. He had me, but I managed to grip that sword and end his life instead."

I realized how earlier when I'd woken up, I'd pretty much accepted the fact that I was going to die very soon. But seeing Edward's reaction made me think that maybe I ought to fight a little harder. That way, when this war was truly over, I could go back to him. I suddenly knew how so many soldiers felt whenever they had something to look forward to at home.

And here I thought love was completely useless.

"Edward, I—"

The door burst open, with Lucky standing in the door way. "GOOOOD MOOORRRNINNNG, BEEELLLLLLAA!" Lucky shouted out, drawing the words out way too long.

"God damn it!" I yelled out and punched the bed frame. Obviously, I was under the influence of an evil spirit. I could never seem to tell Edward how I felt.

The two boys stared at me. I cleared my throat and glared at Lucky. "What is it, Lucky?" I managed to say at a lower volume. I was insanely upset with him for interrupting what would be my _third_ time trying to tell Edward that I loved him.

"I brought presents!" He grinned widely, oblivious to my anger. "Sweets, flowers, and a few medallions for healing." He dumped a bag of stuff onto a table beside me. "The city wishes you well."

I almost punched him. "Thanks, Lucky." My eye twitched in agitation.

"Oh, it's no problem, Bella!" He was in a good mood. For what? I had no idea. "How are you doing?"

I was doing better until you interrupted me, I almost yelled at him. But I bit that down and forced a smile to my face, absolutely certain it was broken and mangled on my face. "I'm doing just fine, Lucky."

Edward stood up and went to help Lucky sort my gifts out. He was silent as he worked and I almost groaned. This guy was way too depressed.

After they were done, Lucky stood beside my bed, and jumped up and down happily. "Check this out, Bella. Since you killed the Ponta's leader, their army has completely fallen apart! This could be the end of the war!"

"The end, huh?" I answered, my eyes shifting to the window in the far corner of the room. "I don't think so."

"What? You think someone else will come after us?"

"No, the Pontas are still our enemies." My mouth twisted into a snarl. "They still have my mom, Lucky. You think I would let them get away with kidnapping her? I'll kill every last one of them if I have to, to find her."

His mouth turned upside down. "Well, I guess so." He mumbled. "But maybe they'll realize that you can basically eat them alive, and they'll give her up." He added hopefully.

I laughed at that. "You really think that?"

He looked away. "No… I'm being optimistic."

"Very optimistic. Or, perhaps, a little delusional." I said to him, taking a pack of sweet apples from him. "I'm going to talk to the director as soon as I get out of here to tell him I'm putting out a search party for her."

Lucky sighed and hung his head. "I'm guessing you're going to be heading this party?"

"What!" Edward exclaimed beside Lucky. "You can't go out so soon after that injury!"

I faced him. "Edward, I've already said how it's healing fast. It'll be nothing but a scar come the start of next week. It's not like anything vital was hit."

Lucky folded his arms. "And besides, Bella's always ready to go after lying around for so long. She seems to fight better fresh from the steriles."

Edward's frowned deepened.

"Now, who to take with me?" I thought hard. "Obviously we need a strong tracker. Perhaps a—"

"I'm going!" Edward jumped in.

I stared at him. "Seriously?"

"Yes!" He gripped the mattress. "If you are going to fight, so am I!"

Lucky tilted his head and closed his eyes, thinking. "Well, that could work, really. The vamps have awesome senses. Better than any other ninja I've ever met. They'd have to be awesome trackers."

"Hmm…" I thought about that. "That has some truth in it. And I'm sure their extra sturdiness will come in handy as far as the dangers go. You said the first team was wiped out."

"Yeah."

"So, I should definitely bring the vamps, and Lucky…" I mumbled to myself. "Who else? Or will that do?"

Lucky blinked his eyes back open, snapping out of his thinking. "What about Master Yuju?"

"No, I wouldn't drag him into this. It's too dangerous to take more people, I believe. I'll talk to the director to see how many I should take, but I'm going for just the five of us." I said, moving to stand and pace the room.

"It's decided then!" Lucky jumped up again. "We're heading to Mt. Kurosu!"

I grinned to myself as Edward frowned at me. "Yes, we are, Lucky. And we're bringing my mom back."

* * *

There ya go! Mostly a filler chapter. I was going to put a 'changing' discussion in there, but it didn't work out. Oh well.


	31. Chapter 31

So, I have a snow day tomorrow. But even before I knew that, I was procrastinating on my MASSIVE amount of homework. Lengthy assignments in all my AP classes. Surely, these teachers want to kill me...

* * *

A week in the hospital bored me to no end. The days dragged on as my medic ninjas shoved me back into a lying position, people brought me useless gifts of flowers and candy, and I was staring at the ceiling.

However, many of my visitors did bring news with them. I found out the impact of the battle on the city. In the government sector, several building had burnt to the ground, many of them containing emergency supplies and meeting rooms. Luckily for us, the earlier news of the attack had caused our higher-ups to move those supplies down into the Bunker.

There were a very small number of civilian causalities. Fifteen at max, if I remember correctly. Several others were hurt, but they would live. That was all that really mattered.

Now the army's numbers were a different thing. I'd been told that between those who died on the battle field in action and those who couldn't make it at the medic tent, our numbers had been cut almost in half. And many of the survivors were injured and it would take them a lot longer than me to be back at full speed.

As I stood outside the hospital, glancing around at the destruction, I was almost reluctant to leave for this search party. My city needed a strong head right now. Then I remembered that I was only a temporary head. My mom was the one they needed. Suddenly, my mission just got a lot heavier.

Of course, I had never been set on this mission to get my mother back for myself. It was always for the Core. But now it was for the entire city as well.

My wound itched a little under the fabric of my uniform, but I ignored it at as I slung my sack over my shoulder and headed home. The director had stopped by just before I was discharged, claiming Lucky had come to see him about my mission request. He had approved it, and we were to set out in the morning.

My walk through town showed the damage that those cannon balls had done to the shops. Several buildings were missing windows and one I saw had a caved-in roof. The people were all out, helping each other rebuild and set up tents for their businesses.

I silently cursed myself. If I had acted faster when I had heard that first shot….

_If_ was coming back to me again. It was almost as bad as _maybe_. No definite purpose in logical thinking.

As I crossed into the housing sector, I saw that most of the houses were still standing strong. Many people were outside, cleaning up debris that had blown into their yards. My heart ached as I watched them.

Suddenly, a few turned to me and started clapping. I frowned and hid further into my collar. Why hadn't I snapped my hood on? The clapping grew, and my frown deepened.

Why the hell would they clap for me? I hadn't done anything significant.

I tried to avoid making eye contact with anyone, shifting my sack to where it would block my vision of them. This only made the crowd grow louder. Shut up, shut up, shut up. Please leave me alone.

"Bella!" I heard a voice shout at me. I looked up in front of me and saw my neighbor run up to me.

I couldn't remember the girl's name. I'd lived next to her for my entire life, and had never taken the time to even learn her name.

"You saved us all!" She announced, throwing her arms wide.

"I didn't do anything…" I mumbled, hiding my face again.

"You killed that evil man, Harmet or whatever. Now the Ponta army has no leader." She shook my shoulders, making my sack fall. "You ended the war!"

The crowd deafened me. I flinched at the sound. "Really, I didn't do anything remarkable."

"Are you kidding?" Some man shouted from the side. "According the reports, you brought an end to the most dangerous person on the island."

I could feel my face growing red. Stop staring at me, please. I begged in my head.

"Bella truly is the greatest ninja of this generation!" A cheer rose in my name, and I closed my eyes, uncomfortable.

"I'm nothing special, guys." I mumbled, walking faster to my house. Leave me alone.

The crowd seemed to get bigger as I got closer to my house. The door came into view and I broke into a sprint to reach it. I burst through the door, and slammed the door behind me, leaning against the door.

"Damn it." I cursed under my breath.

"What are you cursing them for?" Alice came up to me. "You're their hero."

"I'm not supposed to be a hero, Alice." My fists shook at my sides. "I don't want to be a hero. My name shouldn't be the one those people are cheering."

No. It should be my mother's. She was the one who should have taken down Harmet and ended this war. She had fought this war for most of her time back on the island. She had led the Core into countless battles and brought them back unscathed.

I'd stolen this victory from her.

I shook my head as Alice started to as another question, and brushed past her to go to my room. I threw my sack on the floor and laid down on my bed, curling onto my side, ignoring the tiny ache in my stomach.

I needed to find my mother. I needed to get her back and get the people to realize _she_ was their hero, not me.

Edward shook me awake before the sun rose the next morning. I hadn't even heard him come in last night. Then again, I'd pretty much passed out after I forced myself to eat something.

"Bella, we have to meet Lucky at the Gate soon. Are you packed?" He whispered gently in my ear.

I nodded, and threw the covers off my body. "Yeah, I just need to get dressed."

Walking to my closet, I grabbed my dark green garb that I'd left in there to wear in the dark forests we'd pass threw to get to Kurosu. I quickly tied the sash and slid the hood over my hair. I grabbed the large traveling pack and slung it onto my back.

Edward handed me a piece of fruit to eat on the way out, and we grabbed Alice and Jasper from my living room. I locked to door behind us and we set off to the Gate.

There was no conversation on the way through the city. I think the vampires all realized what a sour mood I was in. I was ready to get this mission over with, have my mom back, and let the Elders decide my future.

Lucky leaned against the guard tent just inside the Gate. He was dressed the same as the rest of us, with his hood on, a small tuft of his hair sticking out from it. He looked over at us and smiled.

"'Bout time you got here! I've been waiting for a while." His voice was clearly excited.

Normally, with a mission this big, I'd be excited too. I loved search and rescue missions. But we were looking for my mom. And we had no idea _what _we would find.

"Are you ready to head out?" I asked flatly, not responding to his obnoxious greeting.

He nodded firmly. "You betcha. How 'bout you?"

I raised my head. "Well, boy and vampires, looks like it's go time. Let's hit this mountain hard!" I raised my fist, feeling a bit of excitement coming to me finally. "Here we come, mom!"

* * *

Whoo! There's another one! It's kinda short, but next chapter the mission will begin. I needed to set up some emotions and conflicts for Bella. Hope it was good anyway.

BTW, I drew a picture of Lucky. You can find the link on my profile. Check him out. And I'll be adding a pic of Gasher probably tomorrow, and the other characters shortly.


	32. Chapter 32

So, my area got hit pretty hard with that snow storm. Let me tell you, waking up to knee deep snow is NOT something I am used to. And I hope I don't have to get used to it. *Shudders* Anyway, we didn't lose power or anything. But my vehicle is currently immobile. Not fun. Here's the chapter!

* * *

Mt. Kurosu was about three days away from the Capital. The five of us moved silently through the trees. Or at least me and Lucky moved through the trees. My vampires stuck to the grass below them.

"So, what is with this Mt. Kurosu?" Alice asked me.

I flipped over and landed, pushing off again. "Oh, you know, same old stuff. Volcanic mountain that bad guys like to hang out in." I told her. "It's been a major Ponta hideout for as long as I can remember."

Lucky came up beside me. "It's going to be guarded heavily, inside and out." He frowned. "Especially after the battle back home."

"Yeah, it would have been heavy the second those blood thirsty beasts found out I was back in town." I turned to look at him. "Don't tell me you're scared."

He scoffed loudly, and fell back. "Of course not!" He said loudly. "Lucky is afraid of nothing!"

I smirked and shook my head. "Back in the game, Luck. We're gonna be entering Ponta territory by night fall."

That made him be quiet. I scanned the area quickly. Nothing, not even animal sounds nearby. But that could be contributed to my lovely inhuman friends on the ground. Edward had told me that animals naturally stay away from vampires.

We continued until the moon was high in the sky. I signaled down for us to stop once we reached a small clearing.

"This looks good for the night, guys. Lucky, set the tents up. I'll prepare the food." I ordered.

"No fire?" Edward came over beside.

"No. In case you haven't realized, it's almost eighty degrees. We don't need a fire." I dragged a fallen tree over for me to sit on while I got the dried food out. "And I don't have to cook dried meats and fruits."

He sat down next to me. "So this is what a mission is like, huh?"

I shrugged. "I guess. You haven't even got to the exciting part yet. Wait till we reach the mountain."

"I'm not looking forward to that." He muttered.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. He was hunched over, and had that worried look etched on his face.

"Edward, you know worrying takes years off your life." I nudged his side with my elbow.

He looked up at me. "I'm immortal. I don't think it matters."

"Edward, this is what I do. Don't worry about the mission."

"But the director said it was highly dangerous…."

"I'm not going to die." I punched his shoulder. "You really think I'd let a bunch of volcanic dwelling Ponta freaks take me down?"

"What if the volcano erupts while we're in it!" He shouted.

I sighed. "Edward, do you know the chances of that happening?" I shook my head. "It's about the same chances of that tree over there taking off into space without any outside help."

That made his worry go away. Of course, it was taken over with confusion. But hey, it was a start.

"Seriously, Edward." I went back to preparing the meat. "It'll be fine."

Lucky came over and took the strips of meat from my hand. "Yeah, man. We're ninja. We know what we're doing."

Edward fell silent. I reached up and took a strip back from Lucky. "Sit down and eat, Lucky. Long day tomorrow."

Jasper and Alice came over to sit on the other side of Edward. "So, we'll be there the day after tomorrow?" Alice asked me.

I nodded. "If it all goes as scheduled." Not that anything I ever do goes as scheduled. But I wasn't about to say that aloud to my over protective vampire.

"Do you have any idea what it'll be like inside?" Jasper questioned.

"Well, I imagine there will be at least a few guards standing around. According to our schematics, it's like a maze inside the mountain. We'll probably have to split up to find where they're keeping my mother."

Lucky frowned at me. "But, Bella. If the squad before was annihilated before they even breached the perimeter, how do we expect to get in?"

I smirked at him. "Well, Lucky, you see, we're not your average, everyday squad, are we?" I motioned around. "For one, we have three vampires, each with their own special abilities. We get into a jam, Jasper there can twist their feelings. Edward can tell us if someone's come, and so can Alice." Then I folded my arms. "And then there's you and me. We've been working together for so long, we can tell what the other is going to do before the other can even think about doing it."

He frowned. "Bella, teamwork isn't going to get us in there."

"Lucky, would you relax?" I scoffed. "Seriously. You really think I'm going to let anyone fail this mission? We're all coming out."

He sighed and looked away. "I guess so…."

"No guessing," I threw a piece of fruit at him. "Finish eating, then go to bed. Long day tomorrow."

Silence fell over our group, the vampires watching us eat. I stared at my food for a long time before actually taking a bite. I was a lot more nervous about this than I was letting on to my friends. My mother had always told me that the leader of any squad, team, or group of any sort had to seem fearless.

I had no doubt my vampires would make it out. I would make very sure of that. And Lucky, well, I'd knock him out and drag him from the mountain if I had to.

But what I said earlier was weighing on my mind. I was a target. A large, blaring target. Everyone around wanted me dead for one reason or another. And once they found out it was me infiltrating their base, the Ponta survivors would swarm me.

Now that I truly thought about it, splitting up was the only way to make sure everyone got out. I would look over the maps again before we hit the base, and make sure I sent the other groups in the directions least likely to pose a major threat. I would direct the vampires away from anything that involved fire, which meant they would probably stay on the upper levels of the base. I would go beneath, find my mom, make sure everyone got out, and blow the place to pieces.

I grinned to myself. This, right here, is what I was meant to do. Making plans, fighting the enemy. My mother, as much I was wanted to get her out, had been so wrong about me. I was a strategist. I could read just about any situation and make the most from it. I would never be able to sit in a class room all day and stare at words on a page and never try them out myself.

Plans were what I did. And this plan, well, I think it was my best yet.

* * *

So, I'd actually had the first part of this written for a few days. But I got tired, went to sleep, then woke up sick. I didn't feel like doing anything! That's why this chapter is later then I perfer to send them out.

BTW, I've finally posted my Pendragon/Avatar crossover fic. You should check it out, if you want to. Hope everyone out there is fairing better in this weather than I am.


	33. Chapter 33

Alright! Well, most of the snow isn't in the way of the roads, so school is back in now. Which means my teachers are lying it on us with the homework. Meh! Anyway, I've procrastinated my Calc to write this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

"Alright, guys." I started off, ducking back behind the tree. "These are your communicators. The button on the collar turns the mike on. If you get into a position where you can't respond to one of us, hit the button twice without speaking." I slid the earpiece in and hid it in my hair. "Lucky, this is not a mission where we are supposed to clean out the Pontas here, understand? We're here to find my mother."

Lucky frowned. "But Bella…."

"No buts, Lucky." I motioned to the others. "I trust you three won't randomly kill someone." I passed out the communicators. "If you get into a jam, hold the mike button for five seconds, saying five aloud. Does everyone understand?"

They all nodded. I looked to Alice and Jasper. Jasper was muttering softly to her, probably to calm himself. Alice was almost bouncing in excitement, or what I assumed to be excitement. Edward was frowning at me, his ridiculous fear for me plain in his eyes. Lucky was, well, Lucky. He always loved anything to do with being a ninja.

"Well, looks likes it's time we crack this mountain open." I turned around and peered to the other side of the tree. "Lucky, you knock out the guard on the left, I'll get the one on the right, Jasper the one in middle. Alice, you watch the guards patrolling the higher level on the mountains, Edward watch our backs." I ordered out, pulling my hood and facemask on.

Without a word, the others copied, and we were off. We broke through the tree line swiftly, splitting into our separate directions silently. Crouched low, I ran as fast as I could to the right guard and sneaked up behind him. Before he could even breathe again, I chopped my hand down on his neck, causing him to lose consciousness quickly.

Glancing to the left, I saw Alice and Lucky had done their jobs, and the top and backs were clear too. I motioned forward and we all ran up to shadows of the mountain. We slid along the perimeter until we found a hole of a door. I was the first one through, and scanned for any guards.

"All clear, come on." I whispered back through the hole.

Once we were all in, I led them through the corridor. It was incredibly hot, with steam floating around us. Even though the fabric of my garb was lightweight and very thin, I

was still sweating. How did these Ponta spend everyday like this?

The hall was long, ridiculously long, and the floor was much too hard to cushion our feet very much. Every time one of us stepped down, I winced. I hated making this much noise in enemy territory. What if someone came down the opposite direction? We couldn't hide the steps, or ourselves.

Finally, the tunnel opened up into a cavern. I motioned for everyone to stop, and glanced around. Nothing moved, and silence was dominant.

I took the surroundings in. High ceiling, candle-lighting strung up the sides. There were three tunnels branching out, other than the one we had just come through.

Now was time to split up.

I saw that one tunnel led to a staircase going down. That would be mine. I turned back to my companions.

"Alright. We'll have to split up. Alice, Jasper, you two take the western most tunnel there." I pointed it out, and they nodded. "Edward, Lucky, take the one directly to the right of theirs."

"What!" They both shouted at the same time.

I groaned. Saw that coming….

Edward came forward to me. "No way are you going alone!"

Lucky hopped in beside him. "Yeah! You have no idea what's down there."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm going alone, guys. There's nothing you can do about that."

"No!" Edward shouted.

"Shhhh!" I covered his mouth. "Moron! What if someone hears you!"

He shook me off. "You said you're a large target, right? What if you get caught?"

"I can fight my way out." I answered simply. "And they won't catch me. I'm a ninja, remember. It's not in the job description."

Lucky frowned. "But they probably have people looking everywhere!"

"They're not on guard. That's why a quiet entrance was so necessary. They won't know we're here till we break out." I folded my arms. "My orders are final. Break it up, boys."

They both stared at me. I nodded to Alice and Jasper. "Be careful in there. If you find anything that could possibly relate to my mother, contact me on the com."

Alice hugged me fast. "Good luck, Bella!" She waved and ran down the tunnel with Jasper.

I moved toward my tunnel.

"Wait!" Edward caught my wrist. "You can't go down there."

I sighed and ground my teeth together. "Edward, I can handle it. I'll send a distress call if I can't. I'm not an idiot."

He looked back to Lucky, who'd pretty much resigned when I said orders were final. Lucky nodded to Edward saying, "She will, man. She understands when she needs help."

I nudged his shoulder. "Get going, vampire boy. Before I have to kick you out of this place all together."

"Do you promise to send a distress signal?" He asked me, his eyes worried. Seriously, boy, get over it!

"Yes, Edward, I promise." I sighed, shaking my head. "I won't do anything stupid."

He stared at me another minute, and didn't move. So I close the gap between us and kissed him softly. Pulling back, I said, "Really, Edward. I'll be fine. Go. And watch out for Lucky. He gets a little impulsive sometimes."

Edward nodded, hugged me, then turned to Lucky. "Alright, ninja kid, let's go."

"I'm not a kid! I'm eighteen!" Lucky frowned indignantly.

"And I'm a hundred and nine. You're a child. Let's go."

I nodded to them, watching as they disappeared into the tunnel. Once they were out of sight, I turned to my tunnel.

"Here we go, Swan. Time to bail your mother out." I whispered to myself and ran for the stairs.

I promised Edward not to do anything stupid. I said absolutely nothing about doing crazy.

* * *

Ooooh! Manipulative! Heheh, that's a ninja for you! Anyway, so there might be another big snow storm tonight, so I might be able to write another chapter if I get all my Calc done tonight. Whoopee!


	34. Chapter 34

Hello, my loyal readers! Here we are again to enjoy this lovely chapter. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

The staircase wasn't very long, but it was steep. I reached a platform at the bottom, and quickly ducked into shadow on the wall. Two men walked by me, mumbling about something. I held my breath and pressed myself closer into the wall, barely blinking.

Once they were up the staircase, I hit my mike button. "Two people heading up the stairs. Stay on your toes, guys." I whispered.

"Roger that." Lucky's voice came over.

"I copy that." Jasper responded as well.

I looked around and listened again for another second, then came out of the shadow. I ran down the hall, carefully placing my feet so as to not make noise. The lights strung up the side glowed softly, and added to the stealth factor I was playing. Shadows were everywhere, and even in the full light of them, it was dim enough to not make out features.

"Walk in the park," I muttered to myself.

The corridor twisted around, and I carefully stuck to the outside wall. It was getting hotter down here.

My hall led out into a large room, similar to the one where my team and I had split up. I looked around. There were several pieces of machinery lying against the walls, and papers scattered about. I ran my hand across the metal of a computer-looking thing next to the exit of my tunnel.

It was just like the one my dad had set up for me back in the states. I, of course, had little clue how to work that one, let alone this one, that probably had more software and all the tech stuff. The screen stared at me blankly, asking for a password. I had half a mind to start guessing at it, but my mission rang in my mind. This wasn't recon, it was search and rescue.

I continued on through the room, scanning all the other pieces of equipment. This was some pretty high tech stuff for Kugresa Opala. We tried to stay away from modern technology. The only really modern stuff we had were the coms and the occasional security cameras.

So how did the Pontas get their hands on this stuff? And did they know how to work them?

All questions for another day. Focus on the mission.

I left the room, taking a tunnel straight across from the last one. This tunnel was larger then the last few I'd been in, obviously more traveled. I had to be on guard here.

Voices were coming from the opposite direction and my heart jumped into my throat. My head snapped around, looking for something to hide behind. The lights were too bright to hide in the shadows here. But lucky for me, there was a bench sitting not too far from me.

I dove behind it, just as footsteps came to my ears. I laid down on my side, completely wedged between the thick wood and the wall. Good thing I wasn't claustrophobic.

"Yeah, the boss has totally lost it." I heard the first voice come.

"I mean, really? Kidnapping the girl's mother?" A second one said. "Who does that?"

"I don't know, man. But orders are orders. You don't really think this girl is going to come here, do you?"

"The boss says she is. And he's a great hunter. Always knows what the prey is thinking and what they'll do next."

"You're right, of course." The first sighed, and I felt weight press on me. They had sat on the bench. Damn it all….

"This girl had better be a freakin' amazing ninja for the boss to want her this bad."

"Yeah, really. I overheard one of the higher ups saying something about her being the deciding factor in this game. Whatever that's suppose to mean."

"Hmmm…" The second one hummed to himself. "You don't think she's the one the legends speak off, do you?"

"Naw!" The first scoffed, and I could practically see him rolling his eyes. "The stories tell of a great hero who comes from the mainland. This girl was more than likely born right here on our island. Don't worry about it."

"Hey!" Another voice came, sounding angry. Footsteps slammed down, and I felt the weight jerked off me. "Get back to work, you too. No loafing!"

"Y-yes, sir!" The two stammered, and I heard them run away.

The angry voice sighed and said, "Rookies. I hate 'em."

I waited for their footsteps to fade away before coming out. Sliding out carefully, I stayed still for another moment, listening carefully. No one came, and no voices sounded. I was clear, for now.

Were they talking about me? They said something about 'kidnapping the girl's mom', but did that really mean me? This mission just got a lot weirder. More than ever, I wanted to snoop around and get some info on these guys. But I held back again, sticking to my mission.

I carefully stuck to the walls, continuing down the hallway. It twisted around, and the heat got worse. I had to pull my facemask off several time to wipe the sweat from my face.

How deep did these tunnels go? Not much further out, I hoped, otherwise, I'd be here for months, scouring them. Unless I just so happened to get lucky. But that was never the case.

I glanced around, noticed nothing, and pressed the mike button. "Found anything at all, guys?"

"Nothing here, chief." Lucky answered. "You?"

"Negative. How about you, Jasper? Anything?"

"Computers, that's pretty much it." He answered. "We haven't even crossed a single person."

"Alright. Be careful. Over and out." I released the button, and continued down the hall.

Normally, I don't let my mind wander on missions, but I figured if I popped back into the present very often, I'd be fine. This place seemed pretty quiet.

So, as I was walking, I thought about everything I had ever heard about the Ponta clan. Every bad piece of news, every awful story, and every single death they had caused. Back when I was a young girl, my mother used to go on mission to eradicate small bands of them, and she'd come back to drill it into me that they were evil creatures barely worthy of the term 'human'. Everything I had seen from them told me she was right. Declaring war randomly with my clan, just after signing a non-aggression act with a non-ninja ally of ours. Attacking on off days, just so they can see blood shed.

Yes, these people were nut jobs, as far as could tell. They spared no one in their routine town rampages, women, men, and children alike. Sure, we Atarian ninja had to occasion kill some innocents, but it was usually part of a bigger scheme of the higher-ups. We didn't enjoy it like the Ponta seemed to.

I wondered to myself, why did the Ponta enjoy it? What was the thrill they got from killing? Were they always like this? Or did something drastic happen before we were born to change their views?

All these questions rampaged through my skull, beating off the walls in my brain. I had to find answers for them, but that was a mission for another day. Now I really ought to focus on the current mission.

My mother had always said, 'When you're out on the field, nothing but the mission matters.' I tried to follow that mantra to the letter, but sometimes, I couldn't help my mind ramblings. And I just couldn't seem to kill my ties with my comrades either. I would always fight to keep them alive after the mission was completed, and I was expected to run with the information.

But a man once told me, when I was out on a mission one day, 'In a ninja's world, those who violate the rules and fail to follow orders are lower than garbage. However, those who do not care for and support their fellows… are even lower than that.' And I tried to follow that too.

It was hard sometimes, sticking to the mission, and looking out for my friends. Sometimes, people ended up dead. Important people. And then my whole world was flipped upside down.

Stop it, Bella! I commanded myself, slapping myself back into reality. This is no time to be thinking about Gasher. Focus, focus, focus. Name of the game.

This tunnel was still going. I had crossed several passages, but they seemed inactive and not useful. So I had passed them without a thought. And this main tunnel seemed much more likely to lead me to a holding cell. At least, I hoped so.

I came out to a small cavern-like opening, and stopped for a moment. Looking around, I tried to get a grip on how far I'd come. I'd been traveling for about an hour, I thought to myself. This tunnel kept going forward, and I moved to enter that hole as well.

But something stopped me.

A cold chill ran down my back, and I froze. Slowly dropping into a fighting position, I turned around. Sure enough, a shadow was coming up through the tunnel I had just left.

I quickly jumped over, knocked one of the lights out, and held the shadows. I silenced my breathing, and slowed my heart down, just in case. I wish I had painted around my eyes so I could just close them and truly fade into the blackness, but I hadn't had any paint. Oh well, too late now.

The man came into the cavern, and I held even more still, if that's possible. I stopped breathing all together. The man looked around, scanning the room.

There was something off about him. His skin was much too white to be a Ponta. And his eyes…. If the lights weren't tricking my eyes, I could have sworn they were….

Red. Red eyes.

Oh no….

"Come out, come out, little Swan." He muttered. "I know you are here."

Swell. Just what I needed. A vampire on my back.

* * *

Well, there ya go! Vampires, Pontas, and enemy ninja, oh my! The quote Bella said a few paragraphs up, the one about ninjas and friends, was quoted from Naruto, Vol 2, English translation. Mr. Kishimoto takes cred for that. But I thought it fit.


	35. Chapter 35

Whoo! Today was my mom's birthday, so we went lazer tagging, and I had a blast! I also felt way ninja ducking around corners blasting people. Then I re-finished Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World. Love that game. And then came to write this! Very good day.

* * *

Great. Fantastic. This guy had to know I was standing right here beside him. I had to have some of the worst luck in the ninja world right now. Vampires stalking me, people kidnapping my mother, overall confliction about everything. Gah.

"Come out, little Swan. I know you're here." The vampire sniffed the air, and snickered. "I can smell you and your delicious blood."

"Too bad you'll never try it," I came out of the shadows, hand on my knife holster on my hip.

"Oh look, I found you." The man stepped into the light, and I looked at him. He wasn't too pretty, like I figured all vamps were supposed to be. Sure, his skin was perfect, and his features weren't flawed, but there's only so much you can improve an ugly person like he must have been. Sickly, greenish, pale skin, dull red eyes, sickly thin brown hair. Ick. "And I do believe I will have a taste of your blood, little Swan."

I gave him my battle-smirk, eyebrows raised. "Well, looks like we're in for a little game then, aren't we?"

"Oh, but you see, my mother always told me not play with my food."

"Well, my mom always told me that I should taunt my prey before I ended their petty existences." I tilted my head slightly. "Adds to the thrill, you know." I showed my teeth in what would have normally been a smile, but I was shifting into battle mode, so it was more menacing.

He shook his head. "Me, the prey?" He laughed aloud, throwing his head back. "Shall we dance, little Swan." And he lunged at me.

Vampires are fast, I know that, but this guy broke the scale. His lunge for me was almost faster than I could see, with adrenaline fueling my sight. But I was fast too, so I quickly side stepped him and lashed my foot out to catch his stomach. He twisted, and caught my kick with his palm, flipping me around with a flick of his wrist.

I landed flat on my face on the stone floor. Ouch, that hurt. Damn, this guy could fight. He wasn't that one I found on the dock with Edward that one night. Time to step up my game.

Scrambling back to my feet, I judged the distance between us. He was standing in an attack stance, ready to take the initiative and go for me. I slipped into a defensive crouch, and unsheathed my knife. The blade glistened in the dim light, and I smirked again. Here we go.

He came for me again. I stepped the speed up another notch, diving outside of the lunge, arcing my feet to hit him with one and quickly follow with another. My second kick caught the side of his jaw, and he reeled back, rubbing a fresh crack in his rock hard flesh.

I stood again, angling my shoulder forward, narrowing his target. He got to his feet, the crack already beginning to disappear. I dove for him this time, aiming to catch him around the neck and snap his neck, ending the battle.

Instead, I got a stomach full of vampire fist.

Gah, that was going to ache for a while. I flew across the room, landing against the wall with a thud. Sliding down, I gasped quickly, trying to regain my breath. He came at me again, fist out, ready to strike.

I shot my arm out, catch his fist in my left hand, and twisting his arm around into a painful position. Normally, this would have temporarily crippled any other man, but not a stupid vampire, no. He just had to have low pain receptors. The man just stared at me as I twisted his arm farther and farther, trying to get some reaction of pain from him.

Nothing, huh? I gave that up quickly, still keeping his fist firmly in my palm. Vaguely, I flashed back to Edward telling me the only way to kill a vamp was to rip them apart and burn the body. I planted my foot against his chest, and yanked out his arm from the socket.

The vampire squealed in pain, and I tossed the removed limb across the room. I stood up, straight, not taking a fighting stance at all. He was down for the count now. He stood where I had him, gaping at the empty socket.

I kicked him again, sending him sprawling. He landed against the wall, and I was on him in a heart beat. I yanked his other arm, and threw it to the forming pile. Adrenaline pounded through my veins.

"No, no! Little Swan, please do not kill me!" He sputtered as I went through tearing him apart.

"And why, little vampire, would I not?" I asked rhetorically. I pulled a lighter out of my tunic, and flicked the roller. A small flame popped out and I squatted down to light the pile of vampire limbs. The flame caught the instant it was near the flesh, and burned brightly. "When I am having so much fun?"

"I can tell you where your mother is!" He shouted out, squirming toward the fire. He couldn't walk anymore, so he was rolling over there. How bizarre.

"Alright, tell me where she is." I kicked the remainder of his body away from the flame.

"You really aren't far from her!" He gagged out, cowering away from my feet. "Down that hall," he pointed to the one I hadn't gone down yet, "There will be a staircase going down. Follow it for three flights, then go into the first left. You will find her there!"

"Well, thank you, little vampire." I smirked evilly, my lips curling back. "And now, my ex-immortal friend, it's time to die."

"Wha—"

I kicked him into the growing fire. His body was incinerated on contact.

"Oh, and by the way, I don't dance." I muttered to the flame.

I covered my face again with the mask, hoping to filter the stench of burning flesh. I stared at the flickering blaze for a moment longer, then turned toward my new destination. While I was leery to trust the vamps directions, I really didn't have much else to go off of. If I was careful, I should be able to check it out without much trouble coming to me.

The hall was just like every other one I'd come through today. Lights strung up the sides, shadowing everything. The farther I progressed down the hall, the more I heard a strange ticking sound. It was like the sound a clock makes, only when I heard it once, it clicked again several more times rapid fire. No time to figure it out, however. I was on a mission.

I found the staircase the vamp had told me about. I glanced around behind me, making sure no one was on my back, and descended. The steps were hollow, so they amplified my footfalls. Again, I winced every time the sound echoed through the small space. This was going to get me caught again. I wondered how a vamp would fair, fighting me on the stairs. Not too well, I hoped.

The stairs turned out to be fashioned similar to that of an apartment building's fire escape back on the mainland. Several steps descending, a platform, twist around, and descend again.

Now was as good a time as any to tell the others I thought I'd found where my mother was. I pressed the mike button.

"Hey, I think I know where my mother is at. I'm heading for her location now."

"Do you want us to come after you?" Jasper's voice rang through my earpiece.

"No, Jasper. I want you to get Alice and yourself out of this mountain. I'll meet you topside."

"Roger. See you soon." And he was gone.

I waited for a minute. Where was Lucky's response? He was faster than anyone at clicking that button. He had a hard time staying quiet, so he was always eager for a reason to talk.

"Lucky?" I hit the button again. "Lucky, you there?"

"Yeah, sorry, Bella." He rasped out. He sounded out of breath. "Mishap."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, no problems here. Not anymore. We were just assaulted by a vampire."

Them too? "Is Edward alright, too?"

"Of course." Lucky sighed. "He's watching the fire right now. Awful smell that thing gives off."

"Yes." I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, I have information about where my mother might be. I want you to get Edward and yourself out of the mountain. Immediately."

"What! How could I just abandon you like that?"

"I have a plan, Lucky. And I don't want anyone else near when I execute it. Understand?"

I heard an angry sigh on his part, and finally a "Understood, chief."

"Go, Lucky. Don't waste time."

"Over and out, chief." And no more discussion was needed.

I turned to the final set of stairs. If that vamp wasn't lying, I was just steps away from my mother. Even so, there were probably a few guards laying down there, just waiting for me to come. If my mother wasn't down there, I'd have to keep looking. Either way, it would probably result in a fight.

I smirked, and began climbing down. Bring it on.

* * *

I actually used that line "Oh by the way, I don't dance," on the soccer field the other day. My teammate was all "Let's dance" when we were play offense vs defense. I owned her, so I said that. Heheh, little by-the-way fact I thought you might enjoy. Anyway, there you go, another chapter. I would like to thank the lovely Savatage for fueling my writing of this chapter. True music genius.


	36. Chapter 36

Ah, back to school. So lots of homework and stuff. Ick. But here I am, writing instead of doing that. Who said procrastinators never succeed?

* * *

I pressed my back against the stone wall, barely breathing. Peering around the corner slightly, I saw two men standing in front of the door I assumed my mother to be behind. From what I could see without giving myself away, they both carried large spears, unusual weapons, but very dangerous. I had to find a way to take them out without getting a spear to the neck.

I slid back around and fished through my mission bag. My hand closed around a couple of throwing knives. Knife throwing wasn't my forte, but if I could hit any part of them and get them to drop the spear, I could dispatch them easily.

Glancing back around, I gripped the knife in my right hand, twisting it to fly straight for the man on the left's hand. Taking a deep breath, I flung it forward, watching it flip in the air, and finally embed itself into the man's wrist.

The guy cried out and dropped his weapon, holding his bleeding hand. The guard next to him dropped his own and moved to help his injured comrade. I took this as my cue to jump out and knock them both out.

I jumped on the one helping his comrade's back, and cut off his air to send him into dreamland. Crawling away from him, I knocked the other guy with the bleeding hand on the side of the head, making his eyes swirl and his body crash against the stone floor.

Smirking to myself, I moved back to the door. Just as I reached up to test the lock on it, I heard a thick _thump_ nearby.

My head shot up, and I immediately set my guard back on. Had those guys had comrades waiting nearby? Had I been caught? I hoped not. This would all be so much easier if I could just get my mother without being caught.

"Edward!" I heard the familiar cry of my best friend just up the stairway I had come down. "Bella told us to get out!"

"I don't care! She's gonna do something—"

And the vampire came into my eyesight. His sentence stopped and his eyes locked with mine. I opened my mouth to say something, but at that second, Lucky came plowing down the stairs, having obviously tripped and slammed smack into Edward's side. Edward, of course, barely flinched at the collision, while Lucky was sent sprawling onto the floor, holding his face in pain.

I felt like an anime character, with the large bead of sweat falling over my head. I smacked my forehead visibly and glared at the two.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" I growled.

Lucky scrambled up and held his hands up in a defensive manner. "I'm sorry, Bella! I tried to make him follow orders! But vampires are hard to stop!"

I sighed. "Edward, I told you to get out of here."

"I know."

"So why are here!" I clenched my fists so hard, I could feel the nails biting into my palm.

"I heard what Lucky was thinking. You have a plan to destroy this place, and the only way to do that is from the inside." Edward frowned, angry. "I'm here to make sure you don't do that."

"Seriously, Edward?" I rubbed my eyes, exasperated. "You really think I'm on a suicide mission? You don't think I'd plan an escape route before I blew the place to pieces?" I glanced over to Lucky. "And I should have warned you to watch your thoughts."

"Sorry, Bella." Lucky muttered sheepishly. "I really tried."

"I know, Luck." I turned back to the door. "Now, I guess, you'll have to assist me. I need to investigate this room. You two will watch the door, understood?"

Lucky nodded quickly. "Gotcha, chief!"

I turned to Edward. "And you, Edward?"

"I'm going in there with you." He folded his arms, stubborn.

I growled to myself again, biting my tongue. He was lucky he hadn't been born on the island and chosen for ninja training. He'd have been exiled before he could even think about reaching full ninja status. The boy didn't follow orders to save his life. And they were to save his life.

Damn it all.

"Fine." I gave in, reaching into my bag again. I handed him a throwing knife. "You will follow me in. Guard my back, understand?"

He nodded eagerly now. He gripped the knife and watched as I kicked the door, not bothering with the lock at all.

The stone door cracked against the wall and rang throughout the hall. Whatever. Too late now. I stepped inside, pulling out my trusted knife, and holding it at the ready.

Edward and I crept inside, taking in everything this room had to offer. It wasn't very big. It didn't even really look like a room. It was thin and long, more of another hallway then a room. Still, we followed it, keeping to one side of the walls.

Then I noticed something.

It was getting hotter.

As if that was possible. Before we walked into this room, I was already pretty warm. Now, as we moved farther and farther down this hall, the heat seemed to grow. There was some heat distortion lingering in the air, and my breathing was getting shorter. Yeah, something bad was ahead.

"Hey, Edward. Be careful. I'm getting a bad feeling something's up ahead."

He nodded, but didn't say anything. That annoyingly overprotective, worried look he'd adopted lately was back on his face.

"Easy, vampire-boy," I muttered, trying to calm him. "Nothing bad is gonna happen to me, or to you. We got this."

I said it to him, but I think it was more to ease my own nerves. This was going to be bad. I could feel it.

We came to an opening in the stone. I stopped Edward from moving forward and surveyed the room. The heat had peeked here, and I could hear something beeping in the background.

The room was large, the largest I had seen so far. It was empty though. None of the machines I'd seen earlier were down here. No scattered papers. No signs anyone had been down here.

My communicator buzzed in my ear, signally someone had hit the button to speak to me.

"Uh, Bella?"

"What is it, Lucky?" I answered, my eyes still watching the room. I had that prickly feeling on the back of my neck you got when someone was watching you.

"I think we have an issue."

"What did you do?" I frowned at the floor, focusing on what my best friend was saying.

"Nothing. But, I just had to take out a squad of Ponta patrolmen, and I think they signaled for help before I could dispatch them all."

I grimaced. "Alright, follow me and Edward down the hallway behind the door. Get here as fast as you can."

"Understood, chief. Be there soon." And he released the button.

I rubbed my eyes again, and sighed. This mission was slowly deteriorating from my original plan. I looked up, ready to give Edward my angry glare, only to find he wasn't beside me anymore.

He was pressed up against the wall across the room. His ear was flat against the rock, and his eyes were glazed over, like he was focusing hard on something.

"I hear something behind this wall. A voice."

"Really?" I came over and put my own ear against the wall. "I can't hear anything."

"No, it's someone's mental voice." He told me. "But it's kind of muddled, like the person isn't fully conscious."

"What are they thinking about?" I asked, pulling away from the wall.

"It's something like…" He listened for a moment. "'_I wonder what they're going to do next._'" He said aloud, and then cut off. "And I can't make anything else out. Like the thoughts just stopped."

I leaned my back against the wall and folded my arms, thinking. "That could mean this person is in some serious pain. I know that thinking becomes harder the more pain you're in, unless you're thinking about the pain." I muttered to myself. "But the only person I could think of that the Ponta would torture like that would be my mother."

"You think she's behind this wall?" Edward asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know for sure. But even if it's not, we should probably get them out of there."

He nodded and moved to hit the wall, as though he would break open a pathway. I stopped him, however, and scanned the wall closely. There had to be a switch or seam for a door or something….

"Ah, here we go." I mumbled to myself. Barely visible for the shadows was the seam of a door. I slid my hands across the space, trying to push it open or find someway to jam my fingers in and pull it open. "Damn it," I cursed under my breath. "No dice."

"Isn't this where we break through the wall?"

I shook my head. "No, Lucky said he thought people were getting ready to storm us. We need to leave as little a trail as we can." I told him, scanning the room again. "There has to be a switch or a card lock or something laying around."

Edward scanned with me, using his vampire sight to aid my human eyes. We couldn't find anything at all. There was nothing around that stood out. How could that be possible? There had to be a rise in the wall or a shift in the floor or something. Nothing.

Suddenly, Lucky burst into the room, panting heavily and heaving his shoulders. He looked as though he could barely stand he was so exhausted.

"Lucky?" I said, going to him. "What's going on?"

"Well, they did call for help." He gasped, leaning on his knees. "I ran here as fast as I could. I was watching my step, I swear, but I hit a button and something started clicking at me." He explained, sitting himself on the ground. "I got nervous, so I sped up, and it got really hot."

I nodded. "It is hot down here." I agreed. "But where was this button at?"

"It was far down the hallway. Just inside the entrance. It was barely visible, so I wasn't watching out for it."

Edward and I locked gazes. "Well, Lucky, looks like you found the switch we were looking for." I told my gasping comrade. "Now all we have to do is figure out what to do next."

* * *

Well, now I'm dying to go read my book. I had quite a bit of fun with this chapter. Lucky always amuses me. I often imagine him in real life situations with me. Heheh, but I'm just weird like that.


	37. Chapter 37

So, I was going to write this last night, but I was tired after my soccer tournament, I crashed as soon as I parked my truck and walked into my house. So the moment I woke up, I stared writing. Hope everyone likes.

* * *

This door had to open somehow. Lucky already triggered the switch, so there must be another thing we have to do before entering. But how? I scanned the room again. Nothing of importance popped up.

"Maybe there's a timer…" I muttered to myself, pacing back and forth in front of Edward and Lucky. "Maybe we have to wait a few moments for the switch to activate the door…"

"What if that switch I triggered wasn't for this door?" Lucky asked, sitting back up. "What if it was an alarm?"

I froze. I hadn't thought of that. "Don't you think we'd hear something if it was?" I responded to him.

He shrugged. "Just a thought." He muttered to himself. "I still don't see why we can't just have Eddy here break through the wall."

"I told you, we have to remain in stealth mode, Lucky." I sighed, and leaned against the wall.

"But does that really matter now?" Edward piped up. "With the people who are supposedly coming after Lucky? They'll already know we're here."

I ducked my head down, and stared at the stone floor. What to do, what to do…. Part of me cried out to keep the silence with us. But Edward was right. If people were coming after us, there was really no need.

"Alright." I finally said. "We'll wait for another moment, and we don't find another way to open the door, we'll bust through it."

"Yeah!" Lucky jumped up, excited. "Edward gets to show us that killer strength he was telling me about!"

Me and Edward shared that I-can't-believe-he's-yours/mine-best-friend look. Edward came over and leaned against the wall with me.

"So, you plan to blow this place up?" He whispered to me.

I shifted my shoulders, almost shrugging, but not quite. "I planned to render this place unusable for the Pontas. That way, whatever they were working on here couldn't be used against us."

"But you told us this was strictly search and rescue."

"I know." I glanced over at him. "This was something I had to do."

"We could help, you know." Edward grabbed my hand. "Me, Lucky, Jasper, and Alice." And he smiled at me. That stupid crooked smile that had made my heart skip from the first time.

"I know, but I…." I looked away from him. "I'm used to doing this stuff alone."

I could feel Edward's eyes drilling into the side my face. "No matter how long I stay with you, I can never seem to get a feel for what you'll do next. What you'll say next."

"Well, I guess that's good." I mumbled, more to myself. "That means no one else can figure me out too, right?"

To be honest, most of the time, I didn't even think about what I was doing or saying. Everything that happened to me was purely what my body or tongue had decided, not my brain. Sure, I planned out most of the missions beforehand, but whenever something unexpected happened, I only did what my instincts told me.

Across the room, I saw Lucky's head shoot up. "Hey, do you hear something?"

I tilted my head, listening intently. Edward copied me.

"No…." I answered after a while.

"It's like…" Lucky paused, his face twisting in concentration. "Like a screeching noise. Like metal moving over metal. Only it's not that loud and piercing."

I listened again. Nothing. "Edward?"

"I think I hear it." He said, folding his arms. "It seems to be coming from that room where I heard the voice earlier."

"That can't be good." I muttered to myself. Strange noises from rooms where people were being held hostage could never be a good thing. "Looks like we'll have to break through this door." I turned toward it.

"Actually, there's no need." Edward told me. "I can hear someone coming down the hall to open this door."

"Seriously?" Lucky asked. "How insanely lucky are we?" He pumped his fist. "Now all we have to do is hide and knock that guy out, while getting through the door, right?"

I nodded. "Exactly. But we should probably make sure the guy doesn't see who we are, or that we've taken him out. Don't want anyone else finding out this base has been infiltrated."

"Alright!" Lucky shouted again. "Bring it on!"

I almost punched him. "Quiet, you moron!" I shushed him. "They could hear you!"

"Oops," He whispered. "Sorry."

I rolled my eyes. "Get into the shadows and put your masks on." I ordered the two of them, and jumped back toward the door. "No noise, whatsoever."

They nodded and hid in the shadows themselves. A few moments passed, and footsteps crossed my ears. Dulled footsteps, like someone was walking behind a wall. Which, in fact, they were. I sucked in a breath and held it, refusing to take the chance of this guy hearing my breath quietly moving through my lungs.

A creak sounded and the door was pushed open slowly. A small, white-coated man stepped out, wiping a towel over his face. I could tell by the drooping skin under his eyes and on his forehead, he was a very stressed person. And he seemed especially so now.

Excellent.

I nodded to the other two, and they leapt out, silent, hiding in the man's blind spots. They crept up behind him, and I followed shortly behind them. Lucky quickly caught the man in the crook of his arm, cutting off the guy's breathing, and his head fell slack. Unconscious.

I knelt down and checked the guy out. Obvious a man of science, from the looks of it. White lab coat, and stains of unknown—to me, anyway—chemicals, and that science air seemed to linger around him. I checked the tag hanging from his neck.

"Julien Ket." I read aloud. "Director of Science Department, B3." I flipped it over.

On the back of his tag, there was a list of names. Most of them unfamiliar, but one stood out. "Renee (Swan?)—incapacitated." It read. I checked the other names. All of them had either 'incapacitated' or 'dead' written next to them.

I scratched the back of my neck nervously. This wasn't good. I ripped the tag from his neck, and searched his pockets. I found a card with a code on it that was bound to be useful for something.

I nodded to the others. I stood up and we walked through the door. Being the last one through, I checked behind us as the door was shutting. The light dimmed behind us quickly, but I could have sworn I saw the scientist we'd just taken out reach for something.

Blinking fast, I couldn't get another look. The door had already closed. Maybe it was a trick of the dim lighting. Oh well, I couldn't worry about it now. I turned and followed my comrades down the hall.

Lucky had taken the front position, leading Edward and I forward down the hall. I was in the back, watching behind us, and Edward was listening to everything around us. Something was tugging at the corner of my mind, warning me, but I ignored it. I couldn't deal with anything else right now.

I forced myself to calm down and try to think rationally. Maybe that voice Edward heard was my mother. I couldn't hear it, so I couldn't confirm anything, but I hoped we'd finally found her. I wanted to get out of here and back home already.

Something in the ringing of our footsteps changed. "Lucky." I said, alerting him to the change in sound, and he nodded back at me. He was on guard. I nudged Edward. "Be ready." He smiled at me and nodded as well.

The room quickly opened up to a giant room. The ceiling towered above us, a good three stories up, with beams crossing over our head. Some of them seemed to be used as catwalks as well as support. The rock around glowed a dark, menacing red color, and the heat was intense here. Almost unbearable.

But was really unbearable was what I could see on the floor. All around us, spanning several yards in a semi circle were beds, torture devices, cold medical desks, and sharp objects of all kinds. In the bed, there were actually some people. People who looked to be mangled beyond being form like a person. We stepped out to see a man with skin dripping off his face, and sharp green teeth exposed through transparent lips.

I could hear Edward and Lucky gasp at the sight, and my stomach turned. It took a lot to make me sick, and this was definitely more than enough. Beside the bed, there was a tag that "Jek Turner, Garanian marketman. Failed."

"Failed what?" Edward asked, reading over my shoulder.

I shrugged and looked back at the guy. "I have no idea, but looking at him, I'd have to agree."

"Unless what they're doing is creating disgusting monsters." Lucky said, poking the man's skin. "Seriously, this guy is gross."

I looked at the tag again. Something about the name was familiar. Then it hit me. It was on that scientist's tag that I took. I brought it from my pocket and set it next to Jek's.

"So this is what they're up to here." I muttered. "They're creating… something." I looked to Edward. "What, I don't know. But looking around, I can tell it isn't good."

"Do you think they've done the same to your mom?" Lucky asked, pulling his hood off.

The mention of my mother looking like this guy horrified me. "I certainly hope not. Come on, let's have a look around." I lead them away from skin-drip man and across the floor.

* * *

*Shudders* Can you imagine someone with dripping skin? Ick. Anyway, the climax point of this part of Ninja Bella and Edward's story is coming close. I must say, I am very excited.

In other news, I have a funny story for you! I printed a few chapter of this story off and gave them to a friend to read. She was reading them in my Lit class and my teacher, thinking they were notes, confiscated them and read them aloud. After she was done, she looked to my friend and asked "Did you write these?" My friend, of course, shook her head and pointed to me. My teacher glared at me and asked "Why can't you write essays for me like this?" I almost died and fell out my chair.

Maybe it's not so funny, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway. My lame joking aside, until next time, faithful readers!


	38. Chapter 38

OMG, guess what! I actually did my homework before writing this! It was an essay over Beowulf, though, and I compared him to Naruto, so... Yeah. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

* * *

I had always hated the Pontas. Everyone did. They were beast I could barely consider to be human. But I had never expected them to do these things. I mean, mutilating humans? How twisted was that?

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned away from the gruesome sight of a woman's eyes falling out to see who wanted my attention. Lucky stood behind me, looking anywhere but the table I was standing at.

"Edward says he thinks he might have found your mother." He coughed, trying to cover his gagging.

"Might? Didn't you confirm it?"

"I, uh, wasn't over there." Lucky scratched his head. "We spilt up to look."

I shook my head at him. "Fine, come on." I dragged him behind me, heading over to where I saw Edward standing over a table.

The table was obviously made for torture. There were cuffings to keep the arms and legs immobile, and the captive from moving too much. A smaller table was fastened next to it, holding several medical looking tools, all of them a little crusty with dark material. Cold and clinical is what this table rang with. There was nothing human about this. I shivered subconsciously.

But the person laying on the table was more important than my discomfort.

"Mom!" I felt my voice rise.

I scrambled up to the table and drove a knife under the cuffings and snapped them off. My mother looked to be unconscious, so I worked quickly, hoping she would wake up once her body sensed it was free.

"Mom," I called again, calmer this time. I shook her shoulder. "Mom, wake up."

"C'mon, Renee." Lucky said, standing on the opposite side. "Wake up."

I heard my mother groan, and her hand reflexively reached for the knife she would have normally kept at her belt. When they found nothing, her eyes shot open.

I almost smiled when I saw this, but I remembered that she would probably be angry with me if I did. Looking at her, I decided she shouldn't be angry.

Her face was cut up severely, dried blood caked under her wounds. Her exposed arms were riddled with deep gashes and sloppy stitches. Her skin didn't even look like a pale pinkish color it should have been. It was the black, blue, and purple of bruises.

"Mom," I stared at the wounds. "What did they do to you?"

She sat up, wincing and doubling over. Once her pain lessened slightly, she managed to glare at me. "Why are you here, Bella?"

"I came to rescue you, Mom." I answered, back to feeling like a child talking to a general.

"I banished you from this place." She gasped as she moved to swing her legs over the side of the table.

I pushed her back down. "And I came back. The Ponta army was going to destroy the Capital without me."

"You shouldn't be here."

I frowned at her. "Well, I am." I answered. "And there is nothing you can do about that."

I reached for her, slinging my mother over my shoulders like a doll. "C'mon, guys, let's get out of here." I nodded toward the exit.

We all started for it, but then that familiar ominious feeling crept over me. I stopped dead in my tracks and glanced around. Lucky stopped and stared at me, while Edward's eyes scanned along with mine.

"You don't really think I'm just going to let you waltz out of here, unscathed, do you?" A deep, commanding voice rang.

I blinked and turned around. There stood a man, long blond hair, tattered clothing, and red eyes. Vampire, no doubt. I gripped my mother arms tighter and narrowed my eyes.

"Now, now, Bella." The man clicked his tongue in dislike. "No need to give me such a face."

"Are you the one who did this to my mother?" I demanded, shifting to set her against an empty bed.

"If I am?" He shrugged. "What would you do?" His nonchalant attitude was beginning to grate on my nerves.

"I would rip you to shreds." I answered, my voice just as casual as his.

He laughed, loud, the sound echoing off the walls. "Are you in a position to make threats?"

I cocked my head up. "Are you, or are you not, the one who did this to all these people?"

"Oh, now look. Bella wants to play the hero!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms wide.

Edward put his hand on my shoulder. "We should just leave, Bella." He whispered in my ear.

"Oh, yes." The man chuckled. "I know about you too, Edward. The vampire that has fallen _in love_ with this ninja." His shoulders shook with amusement. "You think she's human? I have news for you—"

His speech was cut off and he cried out in pain. I looked to see my mother had moved from her position against the bed to drive a blood soaked scalpel into the man's foot.

"Damn it, I knew I should have killed you." The man cursed, moving to kick my mother's ragged body away. I could see her shoulders heaving with the difficulty to breathe.

I moved to block the kick, deflecting it with my knee. I turned to Edward. "Edward, you have to get my mother out of here."

"Bella, I cannot leave here." My mother gasped behind me. "I cannot leave… until this man has fallen."

"What!" I shouted back at her, feeling the adrenaline resurface. "Are you serious? You could die here."

She struggled to her feet, and stood wobbly beside me. "That is a chance I must take." She whispered. "Tell your friends to leave here."

"But Mom…." I looked back. Lucky had stepped in front of Edward and was giving me that look that said he would fight with me to the end.

She ignored me and rushed for the man again. I reached to bring her back, but even in her injured state she was quicker than me. My hand came back empty. I shouted out and charged after her.

My mother tackled the vampire to the ground, and was on top of him, raising that scalpel again. She had gotten lucky the first time with his foot, but there was no way that piece of metal was going to pierce his skin again. Not the way her arms were shaking in fatigue.

"No, Mom!" I cried out. "That's not going to affect him!" I slammed into the two, knocking my mother off the vampire, and standing back up. "He's a vampire!"

My mother stopped trying to stand. "What?" She gasped, her eyes widening. "You know about vampires?"

I stared at her. "Huh?"

She gritted her teeth and turned to the evil vampire. "She knows of your kind, James. How?"

"How, Mom?" I blinked and looked back to Edward. "Edward is a vampire, Mom. I found out from him."

My mother's face whipped back around to face me. "You brought a vampire as a comrade!"

I nodded slowly. "He's—"

"Bella!" She shouted. "You aren't supposed to have any contact with vampires!"

"What," I said, my face twisting in confusion. "Mom, you're not making sense."

James, the evil vampire stepped back up. "Oh, my." He shook his head. "Now look at this. The one who holds all our fates in her hands has discovered something she shouldn't have." He smirked at me. "Looks like the only thing to do is kill you." And he lunged for me.

I dodged his attack easily, stepping to the side, and watching him.

"You," I stammered. "What the hell are you talking about!" My head whipped around to look at my mom. "Why can't I have contact with vampires!" My volume was growing, and I could feel anger beginning to surface. "Are you crazy?"

James _tsk_ed and shook his head. "I guess this means you aren't going to give up." He turned his back to me, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a knife and twirled it.

I looked to Edward and Lucky standing in front him now. Lucky had taken a fighting stance and Edward stood back, looking shocked. He obviously had found more information then I had gotten from digging in my mother's head. His face was wide, and his whole body looked to have shut down.

It then struck me what James was going to do. His arm drew across his body and the knife had taken a throwing position in his palm.

_No, no, no_.

I ran forward, diving on top of him. I didn't reach him in time before his arm stretched out and the knife left his hand. Tackling the vampire to the ground, I reached back and drove my fist into his face.

There was familiar cry from where my friends were standing. I glanced up from where I was pounding James' face, and my eyes fell out my head with what I saw.

Edward had Lucky lying across his arm. Lucky had the knife James' had thrown lodged into his shoulder. Blood was pouring from the wound, and Lucky's skin was already paler than it should be.

I scrambled off of James and rushed to my best friend.

"Edward!" I gasped, touching the edge of Lucky's wound. "What… what ha…" I couldn't get a sentence out. My mouth was suddenly very dry.

"I-I'm sorry, Bella!" Edward pulled me to him with his arm arm, cradling both me and my best friend. "I wasn't paying attention, and—"

I shook my head and pulled away. "Edward, you have to get him out of here." I ordered him. "Take Lucky topside and get into our camping supplies that's sitting in the forest. Patch his wound up to the best of your ability, understand?"

"But, Bella, I—"

"Go, Edward!" I shouted. "Take care of Lucky for me! I'll follow you shortly!"

He looked at me like he didn't believe me. To be completely honest, I didn't believe me either. I had a bad feeling about this next fight.

I grabbed his face in one hand and brought his lips to mine, kissing him for all I had. "Edward, go."

He swallowed hard and, if he could, he would have cried. I looked him deep in the eyes.

"Look, Edward. I can't guarantee this won't be a nasty fight. I don't want my injured best friend down here when things go to hell. Please, Edward." I begged him. "Take him out of here." _And yourself_, I thought. But I didn't say that aloud. If I made it about someone else, he would be more willing to listen.

I heard the sound of flesh hitting rock and sensed my mother had re-engaged the vampire in combat. I had to get her out of here two, but she would fight Edward the whole way and he needed to get out as fast as he could.

"Edward, please." I asked again, laying my forehead on his. "Just do this."

There was a pause from him, and I heard him drag his teeth together. "Alright, Bella. I'll take him back up."

"Thank you, Edward," I kissed him hard again. As we both stood up, Edward took Lucky on his back and moved to turn away. I caught his arm and turned him back toward me.

"One last thing, Edward." I said, my heart pounding harder than it had when I fought earlier. If I wasn't walking away from this fight, I had to tell him something. Something I had been trying to say forever. "I… I love you, Edward."

He gaped at me, and I pushed him forward. "Go." I ordered one last time.

He looked at me for another second, nodded, and said, "I love you, too, Bella," before running off the way we'd come.

Once he was gone, I turned to face the battle. My mother had to be wearing thin. This may be my last fight, but I was going to fight with my life to make sure it wasn't my mother's.

* * *

Been waiting a long time to write that scene. I think it turned out better than I planned. But now, it's time for me to crash. I have a soccer tourny tomorrow to be rested for!


	39. Chapter 39

Whoo! Chapter 39! I must say, I'm thrilled to be this far in the story. And as for my soccer on Thursday, it was, sadly, rained out. Dang weenie teams around, don't wanna play on a wet field, cuz 'they'll get hurt'. Suck it up, ya wimps! Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

The battle was on. My side hurt from where I took the brunt of my mother's collision with the floor, and I had a large bruise forming over my eye. My mother's battered body limped around, hitting the vampire over and over again with weak blows.

Why wouldn't she give up and let me handle this?

If I could fight this guy alone, it would be so much easier. I wouldn't have to watch both my back and my mother's. If I knew she was safe, running topside with Edward, I could fight so much more freely.

But I couldn't do that. Why? Because my mother was just as stubborn as I am.

A hard kick twisted in my stomach, and the momentum sent me flying into a table. I crashed over it, my back hitting metal and fell backward.

"Bella!" I heard my mother call.

I popped back up to my feet, and tested my muscles. All good. "I'm fine, mom." I spat out, tasting a little blood in my mouth.

James cackled from where he stood. We had taken sides on him, blocking any forward or backward movement. "You two really think you can beat me?" He shouted out, throwing his head back in a fit of rage. "I am a vampire! The most dangerous predator in the world!"

"Ha!" I laughed once, flipping my knife around in the air. "Even the most dangerous of predators get taken down eventually." I caught my knife, and pointed it to him. "And today, your 'eventually' comes."

He dove for me, and I quickly shoved my knife under the sash of my garb and caught his shoulders with my hands. I slid back a few feet from the force behind his tackle. His cold, rock-hard palms gripped my own shoulders, and squeezed, attempting to cut circulation. Lucky for me, all ninja were drilled to defend against such an easy attack.

I bent my back, acting like I was going to flip James over me, but twisted at the last moment, wrenching my shoulders from his grasp and sending the vampire sprawling at an odd angle. My stomach hit the floor, and I felt something hit me in the back, pressing me in closer.

"You may have defeated those other vampires I sent after you, Bella," James muttered in my ear, leaning over me. "But I'm on a different level, kid. I'm faster, stronger, more cunning, then you could ever hope to be."

I moved my arms to push myself up, but I felt his knee pin me down to the floor. He hit me so hard, the air rushed from my lungs. Gasping, I tried again, only to be slammed back down.

My adrenaline kicked into high gear, propelling my body upward. James pushed me back down, but I flipped over and kicked his knee away, getting to my feet. My mother came from behind and wrapped her skinned arms around James' shoulders, pinning his arms down.

I leaned back and slammed my foot into his stomach, hearing the soft crunching of vampire skin breaking. My mother squeezed him tighter, the muscles in her arms straining to contain his fighting.

I shot another kick forward, aiming for the same spot as before. However, this time, before I connected my blow, James broke free, throwing my mother back. He grabbed my foot, and swung me around, flinging me against the stone wall.

My back hit hard, and my head cracked back. Stars danced in front of my eyes, and I fought the black coming on. I fell against the floor, completely disorientated.

What was I doing again?

An angry shout sounded in the distance and I heard the sounds of combat. Oh yeah, fighting some vampire guy. I struggled to my feet, my head pounding. I braced myself against the wall, trying to force the dizziness away.

Damn, remind me never to get a concussion again.

My vision began to clear to where I could make out shapes and colors. I blinked hard and tried to bring it all in to clarity, but failed.

"Mom?" I said aloud, gripping my head.

"Bella," I heard my mother growl, and looked toward her voice. I saw two blurs, one very familiar and the other not so much, but the familiar blur, my mother, was pinned to the ground.

Something dark stirred inside me, and before my damaged brain could process anything, my body was darting forward, going for a head-on tackle with the unfamiliar blur. I hit it hard, send the two of us flying, and I wrestled him back to the ground.

A grunt came from the blur, and I reeled my fist back and cracked it across what I figured to be its face. My teeth ground together, and I struck it again.

"Bella!" I heard my name called, but I ignored it, reaching for the knife that I knew instinctively to be tucked away in my sash. Lifting the small blade, suddenly everything was clear again. I saw James' face, and the crack my blows had caused. I drove my knife down, wedging it inside.

I used the metal as a crowbar and peeled the skin away from his face. A haunting howl emanated from his mouth, and he struggled to free himself. I grabbed his shoulders, lifted his torso up and slammed him back against the ground.

"Are you stronger then me, now, vampire?" I growled, striking his face with my fist again. "Are you faster, now? Or smarter?"

Anger was quickly taking its red hold on me. I embraced it gladly, feeling that surge of adrenaline that it always brought. I brought my elbow down to nail him in the jugular and heard the vampire gasp and bring his arms around to hold his throat.

A hand struck against my own cheek and I felt myself falling off the vampire. I hit the ground and stood back up, red beginning to tint my vision. James was cradling his throat, rolling on the ground, and my mother was standing over him, her foot holding his chest against the rock.

"Bella!" She glared at me, but my eyes were focused on the cracks in James' skin. "Calm down! Now," She ordered me, but I couldn't hear her. It was like she was at the opposite end of a very long tunnel.

I stepped forward, my hand going to the pocket where I kept my lighter. My mother's eyes widened and she leapt forward to grip my wrist before I could pull it out.

"No, Bella. You can't light him up in here."

"Yes, I can, mother." I said, my voice sounding foreign to my own ears. I still couldn't focus on her. "It will be so easy. One little spark an—"

My mother wasn't there anymore. I blinked and looked around. She was laying a few yards away from me, sprawled out on the floor, face down. I felt my mouth drop a little, and quickly stowed my knife.

"Mom?" I called, the rage beginning to fade a little in my concern.

No answer. She didn't even twitch.

And then it was back. Red completely took over my vision and I turned back to James. I can't remember too much about the first part of this part of our fight. I just know I nailed the creature hard and often. I remember angry growls and injured whimpers. I remember an aching wrists and throbbing knuckles. But my mind was completely gone.

It's true, you know. What they say about getting so angry, you lose your mind. You can't remember anything. There's just a gap in your memory. It's kind of like passing out, and when you finally snap out of it, you feel as though someone has taken you from your bed at night and placed you in an unfamiliar forest, with nothing to tell you where you are. You forget what you had originally been doing.

My mind finally snapped back to me as I was yanking the vampire's arm from his shoulder. I flung the limb away from me and set my foot to his chest to rid the other of his body.

My mind may have come back, but my body was still gripped by the rage. I tore the second arm and threw it over to the first.

I heard my mother calling for me across the room. "No, Bella!" She shouted. "Stop it!"

"Why the hell should I, mother?" I growled back at her. "He's injured my best friend, kidnapped my mother, and now he's threatening my entire clan! He can't be allowed to live!"

"Don't light him down here!"

_Too late, mom._ I thought, and I took the lighter from my pocket. I flicked the switch to fire up the flame, and let the small canister fall from my hand on to the twitching undead body.

"Bella! Everything in this room is flammable!"

And my mind was in control again.

"What!" I shouted back, just as flames erupted from the vampire's body.

They shot forward, engulfing everything around me. A column of the blaze blocked off my path to get to my mother, and I had to pat my sleeves down to keep the flames from spreading across.

"Why the hell didn't you mention this earlier!" I yelled at her. The roar of the flames was growing, and a quick look around showed me that all the tables and bed around us had caught fire.

"I tried!" She shouted back. "You wouldn't listen to me!"

I weaved my way around the flames, having to jump over a blazing desk, and made my way to my mother. She was still laying on the ground, but she'd flipped over.

"We have to get out of here!" I looked around and found the exit. "Can you move?"

She shook her head. "I think I broke my legs in that fall."

Damn it! I knelt down and flung my mother across my shoulders. And I made my way to the door.

"Bella, everything is flammable." My mother said again.

"I know!" I yelled. "You said that!"

"No, _everything_ here," She repeated. "Everything in this base is flammable!"

"What?" I broke through a wooden beam that'd fallen. "But I lit a fire earlier and it didn't spread."

"Did you let the flames spread?"

"No, of course not." I told her. "I'm not an idiot."

"You simply dropped the whole canister of fuel onto the most flammable thing in existence!" My mother growled next to my face. "You have doomed us both."

I felt my throat rumble in anger with her. "You could be grateful for me saving you." I muttered. "But, I will tell you this, Mom: I'm getting the both of us out of here. If it's the last thing I do."

* * *

OOOH, intense! Heheh, I have another tournament in the morning! Yay! I love soccer season! Any other soccer fans out there? Anyway, this is the first time in this story I'm actually going to ask for reviews, but I'm curious: what has been your favorite moment thus far? It can be a line, or a fight, or whatever. I'd just like to know. See ya!


	40. Chapter 40

Well, it's ninja time once again! I have a big game tomorrow, and nothing gets me in the mood like a little ninja action! But, I'm having a little trouble dealing with the fact that this story is now forty chapters long. Awh, anwyay, onward, I say, with the story.

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The flames were getting bigger behind me. The already stifling heat was getting worse and my breathing was rougher. Gah, this sucked. Smoke flowed behind me, and I shoved my face mask on, breathing through the thin fabric.

My mother coughed on my shoulders and I grimaced. I stopped for a moment and ripped my hood from the collar of my tunic and wrapped it around her mouth. The smoke was getting thicker by the second.

The hallway Edward, Lucky, and I had taken to get down here was slowly fogging up with the heat. My visibility was slow deteriorating, and it got to the point where I couldn't see more than three feet in front of me.

I guess it was a good thing that the Pontas that made this place didn't bother with a lot of support beams. That meant there wasn't a lot of rubble I'd have to dig through if they fell. But there were also very few vent holes, so the air was already stiff and unmoving without the smoke.

I cursed to myself several times under my breath. There had to be a faster way out of here, but I didn't dare look for one in fear of meeting a dead-end.

As I ran, leaping over fallen beams and sprinting across burning hot rock that scorched my feet through the thin sandals I had on, I thought about how bizarre my life truly was. I mean, c'mon, I was a freaking _ninja_. Sure, that was completely normal for me and everyone around me, but those kids back in Forks would think of me as crazy and petition to put me in the wacko shack-o.

"Bella, look out!" My mother hacked behind my head, raising a finger to point at a burning lamp on the side of the wall.

"Mom, it's just one lamp and—"

It exploded.

I was in shock for the first millisecond. The second one came and I realized I was flying against a wall. My back hurt and my body recalled the blows I'd taken from that crazy vampire, James. Crying out, I curled up on the ground, forgetting for just a second where I was.

Then I heard my mother calling me again. I lifted my head, gritting my teeth against the pain that was my back. I swear, if that guy broke any part of my body, I would resurrect him and torture him till my island sank.

My mother was laying next to me, crumpled against the wall, like me, but her face shone with sweat and the unmistakable expression of someone forcing themselves not to cry in pain. I stood again, feeling pain in my chest and my ribcage. Damn it.

I picked my mother up again and began my way out. We were barely down the hall from the locked-door room that lead out to the main tunnels. At this rate, we'd never make it out before the whole place exploded.

Every step I took made me wince in pain. How the hell did I get myself into this situation?

"Bella, I have to tell you something." My mother said, shifting her weight on my shoulders.

"No time for talking, Mom." I muttered, my eyes focused solely on my path out of here. "The more we talk, the more smoke we inhale, the less likely we are to make it out alive."

"No, Bella, this needs to be said. Now." She insisted. I opened my mouth to protest, but she interrupted. "I never should have kept all this from you. I tried to keep you sheltered and safe, but I guess that didn't work out so well."

I stopped for a moment, shocked at her words. "Sheltered, Mom? Safe? Have you absolutely no idea what a ninja does? When you're one yourself?"

She nudged the back of my neck, pointing for me to go forward again. My feet resumed their frantic walking pace.

"Not sheltered like that." She continued. "Sheltered from _them_. The vampires. The world of supernatural beings."

I didn't respond. I had no idea what she was talking about.

"I thought making you into a ninja would protect you from them. From the things they can do to your mind." She sighed, and I winced at the smoke she had to be taking in. "But I was foolish."

I was climbing the stairs now, flight by flight, as lamps behind me began to explode and the inferno began to chase me. Behind me I could hear the roar of the flames eating everything in their path. And we were next.

"Mom, can't you save this till we get out?" I asked, trying to keep my feet going. I was low on energy and I couldn't seem to summon anything to keep me going.

"No." She said. "We won't make it out."

I growled. I'm serious. Like, full-on, feral animal growl. "Shut the hell up." I spat out. "What the hell do you know?"

"What?" My mother squirmed to look at my face, but I held her steady on my shoulders.

"I'm getting the two of us out of here." I said, again, confidence obvious in my voice and in my mind. "I'm going to get us back out there, and I'm going to make sure Lucky's okay, and I'm going to tell Edward I love him again, and I'm going to back to the village, and I'm going get you home." I swore to her, and to myself, and whoever else could be listening. "And we are _not_ going to die here."

She didn't say anything.

My speech had refueled some of my energy and I picked up the pace, running down the long hallway. Past the room where I killed that other vampire, through the corridor where I found all the strange equipment.

The first staircase, the one leading to the ground level, came into sight. I almost jumped up and shouted, but my mind was still focused on the soul purpose of surviving. I took to the stairs, two at a time, struggling to keep my mother on my shoulders, and my balance on the steps.

I reached the landing, looking out into the room where my friends and I had split ways. I quickly turned toward the hall that led to the outside.

Sprinting as fast as my damaged body would carry me, I dared a glance back. The flames had chased me this far, and the walls were covered with them.

Who the hell designed this cave anyway? I mean, making everything flammable? Really, in a freakin' volcano? Morons, I say.

This area had been much more lighted then anywhere else I had been in the tunnels. Lights ever few feet. Gas lamps, tied to gas strings, leading to gas wells. Brillant, guys. Way to go.

The floor began shifting beneath my feet, and I lost my balance. I skid across the floor, and slammed into the wall, feeling the heat rising through my clothing. I jumped up quickly, patting down my burning clothes. I didn't actually have flames licking up my skin, but the floor was hot enough to burn through some skin.

Yep, I'd say things were definitely going to hell.

The lamps began to catch not far from behind me, and I poured more speed on.

"C'mon," I muttered, gripping my mother on my shoulders as I shoved through the pain in my body. I noted vaguely in the back of my head that she'd fallen unconscious. "C'mon, c'mon."

Light, the light of day, not this false light, came into my range of sight. Yes!

But the fire was still there, suffocating me. I gagged, and had to pull my mask down to try and force more air down my lungs. Smoke curled around me, as if it wanted to pull me back down. This place was going to blow soon. And I was still inside it.

I burst out of the tunnel, and had to squint under the sun's gaze. I stumbled on my way out, and my knee hit the floor. Pain shot through my leg, but I stood again and limped away from the volcano.

In the back of my mind, I realized I was getting closer to my friends' camp. "Go!" I tried to shout, but my voice failed me. "Get back." I wheezed, struggling to stay upright. "It's gonna blow!"

And then it did.

And I blacked out.

* * *

Awh, wasn't that a nice ending? I thought so. But I bet you didn't ;)


	41. Chapter 41

Whhhooo! My team and I won our game Tuesday, so to celebrate I wrote this chapter! Enjoy.

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Everything hurt. I was having a hard time thinking around that. My head ached, my face throbbed, and my body cried out when I was laying still. The headache was the worst, I think. As much as I could think.

Everything was fuzzy. When my mind came around again, I found my thoughts were completely incoherent. I couldn't hold a single image or idea in my head for more than half a second. And I kept shifting in and out of reality, or something.

Where was I?

Sometimes I was in a dark room, surrounded by nothing but black and silence. Other times I was in a gray place, with figures around, but I couldn't seem to make any sense of them. And the black would come back.

Who was I?

I kept having dim flashes of faces. Some of them were familiar, in a way that I couldn't seem to understand. Others, not so much. There were a few that stood out. A face that was similar to what—I think…—mine looked like. A friendly eyed, orange-haired boy popped up now and again. Another was golden-eyed, and bronze-haired. The last was a person with dark hair and a mustache. These faces had to mean something. But I didn't know.

What happened?

Along with the faces, I kept having flashes of red and orange. The colors were chasing me, and threatening me. I couldn't seem to get away.

Nothing made any sense.

Whenever the gray would come back, I would try to see something through it, to get a face, or an idea that would clear something up. But everything was just out of reach.

But every time the gray would come, it would be brighter, less dark. And I could focus on things longer.

"Bella?" I heard a voice call once. "Bella, are you awake?"

I wanted to answer, but my eyes wouldn't open and my mouth wouldn't move. I couldn't even recognize the voice.

This happened several more times. I vaguely wondered in the back of my mind how long I'd been like this. My whole life? A few days? I didn't know anything.

Then, all of sudden, a loud, obnoxious beeping crossed my ears. I felt annoyed at this sound, and cracked my eyelids, instinctively, to see what was making it. Light flooded into my eyes, and I winced, sending pain throughout the rest of body, bringing me into the world again. I heard a second intake of breath, and tried to move my head, but that only caused me more pain.

"Bella!" I heard the voice of that person next to me exclaim. "You're awake?"

I breathed heavily for a moment, waiting for the pain to subside slightly. "I… I think so…." I muttered, every word leaving my lips harshly, rekindling the ache in my body.

"You think so?"

"What's going on?" I managed to say, louder, and tried to move.

"You're in the hospital, Bella." The voice told me.

My eyes opened a little more, and I got a visual image of the person I was speaking too. It was the same face that I'd seen in the black and grayness earlier. A name still didn't come to mind, but I found I was very fond of this face.

"Why?" I asked, exhaling the word.

"You don't remember?"

"Huh?"

The person stared at me, something registering as disbelief on their face. I stared back, feeling confused, and wanting very desperately close my eyes and fall back into black. There was nothing there that hurt, and here everything hurt.

"I guess you don't." They finally said. "Well, I should probably wait a little to fill you in."

I kept staring at this person. My mind had gone blank and I'd already forgotten the conversation.

"What… why does my head hurt so badly?" I asked them, blinking and sucking in breath.

"You have a concussion." He answered. I'd finally found the word to describe him. He. A boy, or man, or… something. "That's probably why you can't remember anything."

"Concussion…." I repeated, my head throbbing at the word.

"And you're pretty roughed up, Bella. Burns covering your body, deep cuts, blood loss, broken bones."

I suddenly wanted very much to know what happened. But my eyes were getting heavy again. I asked him one last question. "How long?"

"Since you've been here?" He clarified. "About a week and a half."

I let my eyes slide shut again. The black came back again, and I welcomed it.

When I came to again, I was more aware of what was going on. I could remember things about my past, and who I was. For the most part. I knew I was Isabella—Bella, for short—Swan and I was a ninja for the Atarian clan. Most of my earlier years had come back to me. I still wasn't so sure what had happened to land me in the hospital, but I figured that could wait a little bit.

When I opened my eyes, I saw two head hovering over a table beside me. One of them was covered with a shock of orange hair, and the other had gelled out bronze colored hair. I knew by looking at them that these two people were important to me.

The bronze-haired one turned to face me. I saw a pair of golden eyes and my memory jolted a bit. Edward. His mouth turned up and my chest warmed a little.

"Bella." He when our eyes met. I groaned a little, trying to sit up, but he reached out and gently pushed me back down. "Don't move just yet, Bella."

I laid back down, pain coming to me again. "Man, that hurts." I mumbled to myself, breathing short. My memory was coming back the longer my eyes were open. Lucky was standing behind Edward. I remembered sending the two of them away when he got—

"Wait!" I shouted, shooting up. Bad idea. I doubled over in pain on my bed, gasping at it, overwhelming me completely. Edward gently pushed me back down again.

"Easy, Bella."

"Shouldn't Lucky be, you know, in a hospital bed too?" I gasped out, my chest heaving with the breath that had been knocked out of me.

"Nope!" Lucky grinned widely. "My shoulder's just fine. The doc said that evil vamp missed any vital organs, and it didn't tear the muscle or nerves. Just a few stitches and hella awesome scar and I'm all good!"

Typically Lucky attitude. Blow off everything with a smile and joke. But he did look better than I remembered. His arm was tapped up under his hospital tunic, but the bandages were clean.

I tried to nod, but quickly decided against that movement. Instead, I just stared at the ceiling. I blinked heavily and sighed. "And my mom?" I asked, my mad dash out of the volcano with her rushing back to me. That's what landed me here.

"She's fine too." Lucky announced, sitting in a chair next to the window across the room. "She's in the next room, asleep, like you were. She's been in and out more, however. She's worried about you, but she can't leave her room."

"What did the doctor say about her wounds?" I asked, glancing around.

"She had a bad time down there, Bella." Edward answered for Lucky. "The doctors said that she's got some serious psychological trauma, and her body's not in too good a shape, either."

"Those damn Ponta freaks messed her up good." Lucky interjected, summing it all up.

I closed my eyes for a moment. "I need to talk to her." I said.

"Not yet," Edward said, grabbing my hand under the sheet. I clenched my jaw at the pain, and forced the scream in agony down. "You shouldn't move for a while."

I sighed. "Fine. I'll stay here for a while." I frowned. "As much as I hate it."

Lucky chuckled in his corner. "It'll be all fine, Bell!" He grinned again, always the picker-upper of the situation. "You'll be out of here in no time."

I glared at him and turned back to Edward. "What happened after I got out of the volcano?" I asked him.

He scratched his head. "Well, the place just… exploded. The whole mountain went up in flames and sparks were flying everywhere and—"

"It was a bloody mess." Lucky interrupted, again. "Literally. Ponta after Ponta poured out and each other them exploded into pieces." He shuddered. "That will forever haunt me."

"I wasn't going to tell her that, Lucky." Edward growled at him. "She's been out for almost two weeks, you think that's the first thing she needs to hear?"

Lucky shrugged. "This is Bella we're talking 'bout, right?" He leaned back and folded his arms under his head. "She'd be pissed off at you if you kept that from her."

Edward sighed and turned his head back toward me. "You know, your best friend leaves something to be desired."

Lucky scoffed loudly. "Naw!" He threw his head back and laughed a little. "I just know my best bud over on the bed there. Known her longer, Eddie-boy!"

"Would you stop calling me that!" Edward growled, his expression becoming annoyed. "How many times must I ask you that?"

I tapped his hand and brought his attention back to me. "Good to see two important people in my life bonding." I smirked.

Edward frowned at me. "I'm not bonding with him—"

"Lucky," I threw out there, ignoring Edward's last comment. "Would go check on my mother, please. Tell her I'm awake, if she's awake that is."

Lucky nodded, and waved from the doorway. "Be back soon, Bell! And try not to wear her out too bad, Eddie-boy!" He chuckled and ran off.

I would have shaken my head at him, but my neck ached at the thought of the movement. "Best friends. What are you gonna do?" I smirked again. "So, the two of you are getting along fairly nicely, huh?"

"He's obnoxious." Edward huffed, glaring at the door. "How do you deal with him?"

"Cuz he deals with me." I answered. "He's the only who has most of my life."

Edward looked at me, not saying anything. His mind was working over something solemn, I could tell from his eyes.

"Edward." I clenched my hand over his. "Calm down. I'm not dead."

"No." He replied, hanging his head. "But I thought you were going to be."

I stared at him for a minute, then forced myself to sit up properly. His hands shot up to stop me, but I brushed them off. I ignored the raging pain and crossed my legs.

"Edward, you know my mother told me I had doom the two of us down there." I said, my face emotionless. "You know what I said back to her? I said I'd come back out. I said I'd come back out, alive, to see Lucky again, to see my village again." I reached my arm out, and the pain came again. I quickly rested my hand on the side of his face and tried to get rid of that clustered feeling my head was taking on again. "And I told her I was coming back out to tell you I loved you again."

His mouth twitched up again, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "You have got to be the craziest girl I know."

I made to shrug, but my shoulders and ribs screamed at me. "Maybe." I smirked at him. "But you wouldn't have it any other way, would you?"

He smiled for real this time, and kissed me softly on the cheek. "No." He muttered in my ear. "Definitely not. Now lay down and get some rest."

I actually listened to him. I laid back down, my whole body aching and protesting the movement of anything now. I closed my eyes, and quickly fell asleep.

When I woke back up, I would demand to talk with my mother. I had to ask her about what she said in the cave. And what happened with her down in the Pontas' base. I had a feeling I wasn't in for a pleasant talk with my mother.

* * *

Dude. I had half this written out earlier, but I passed out over my keyboard after the game. So I finished it up today. Personally, I think the first part is kinda lame, but whatevs, it has to be there.


	42. Chapter 42

A week after I got my senses back, I was up walking around. Yeah, I still hurt bad, but it was mostly just aching and sore. The burns were slowly closing up, and the only broken bones were my ribs.

Right now, I was walking down the short stretch of hallway, half leaning against Edward, half supporting myself. Edward, Lucky, and the doctors were all concerned about me walking around, but I brushed them off. I was fine as long as I didn't stay up for too long.

This whole being injured and weak thing so wasn't working for me.

I pushed open the door to my mother's room and stepped inside, using the door frame for support.

"Mom?" I called, cautious. I didn't want to wake her up.

"Bella?" I heard the sheets on the bed croak out. A small smile came to my face, but I quickly shut it down. This was my mother we were talking about.

"Are you feeling alright?" I asked, moving painfully to a seat near her bed.

"I'm fine." She said. Her throat had to be raw from all the smoke we inhaled in there. I knew mine was.

"You alright to talk?"

I heard her sigh, and her head popped out from under the covers. "I suppose I should have seen this coming."

I nodded to her. "Back in the cave, you said I wasn't supposed to have any contact with supernatural beings…." I glanced around, seeing Edward leaning against the door frame, and Jasper in the hallway behind them. Moral support. I turned back to her. "What did you mean?"

My mother frowned at me from her bed. I stared back, keeping the emotions out of my eyes. "Are you sure you're ready to hear this, Bella?" She asked, closing her eyes.

I pushed my eyebrows together in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?" I frowned back at her. "I just asked you a question and you answered it with another question."

"And I asked you one, and you did the same thing."

"Answer the damn question, Mom!" I shouted, standing up, and almost collapsing. Edward was over in a second, holding my body up while I gasped and tried to find my feet again. Damn it all.

"Fine, Bella." My mother exhaled sharply. "I'll answer your questions."

I fell back into my chair, my body aching with awakened pain. My ribs burned under my skin and I silently cursed my slow healing abilities.

"I never wanted you to get involved with the supernatural." My mother began. "Nothing good ever comes from ninja mixing with supernatural creatures. You know the stories of the Mainlandic Wars back, long ago, correct."

I nodded. "Of course. We study them carefully in Ninja History."

"Well, the end of the war wasn't quite what the history books say it is. It wasn't the eradication of vampires and the separation of Kugresa Opala from modern day Japan."

"What was it, then?"

"It was a fight between the ninja and the vampires, but it was to end both ways of life. The vampires fought the ninja to end our secret mission and abnormal human abilities. We ninja wanted to end the vampires in an attempt to stop human blood from being drained. As you know, many lives were lost. Before the war ended, however, a truce was announced. An armistice. Our leaders, the Elders of that day, made a deal with the Volturi, the closest thing to a government the vampires had."

"That we still have," Edward interjected. "The Volturi still keep order in the vampire world."

My mother looked over to him. "Really? Is that Aro still in charge?"

He nodded. "Yeah, with Marcus and Caius."

"Hmm…" My mother stared at the ceiling. "Vampires really do live forever."

I rolled my eyes. "On with the story. What does this have to do with me?"

"Well, the Volturi said they would fall into secrecy if we separated ourselves from the mainlands. It wasn't much a deal. So the Elders demanded something else. A child."

"A child?" I rose my eyebrow.

"Yes. A child who had the abilities of a vampire, but was entirely human. Aro had such a child, locked up in hiding, protecting a valuable tool. He was reluctant to give him up, but the Elders threatened to eradicate the entire vampire race if the child was not handed over. So, Aro did the only logical thing. He handed the child over.

"The child was strong, fast, and brilliant. Far better than any of the ninja living on the soon-to-be island. He was brought to island, and we separated, just like the deal said. The child quickly adapted to the life of a ninja. He became just like you. Always trying to impress someone, be the best."

"So, the only thing that has to do with me here is our mannerisms?"

"No, absolutely not." My mother shook her head, still focusing on the ceiling. "This child quickly grew into a man, and had a child of his own. On the day before his child was born, he was summoned by the Elders. They told him that any child of his must never have any contact with vampires or any other supernatural being. They said that if the children did, they would become more beast then human, and the instinct to destroy would take over. And the Elders would have no choice but to execute the children."

I stared at her for a moment. Then she continued.

"It's been almost five hundred years since then. The blood of that first child has been passed down through the generations, gradually growing weaker with time. However, it takes a lot of water to dull a strong flavor. The first child's strength runs strong and prominent."

"So? Who has this blood? Someone I know?"

She nodded. "Someone you know very well."

I thought. Who had god-like strength, overwhelming intelligence, and was better at being a ninja than anyone else?

"It's you…." Edward mumbled from across the room. Anymore noise in here, and I wouldn't have heard him.

"What?" I looked over to him. "That's impossible. I'm not insanely strong, or like that in any way."

"Really, Bella?" Edward looked at me. "You ripped apart a vampire, not once or twice, but three times. When me and Lucky were in the volcano, separated from you, we ran into a vampire, and that guy… he beat your friend bad. Lucky couldn't even get a hit on him." He scratched the back of his head. "But before, when that vampire attacked you on the port, you didn't even break a sweat."

"I've always been able to—" I stopped. He had me there. "But I'm not fast, or incredibly intelligent."

"Bella." He sighed. "I don't want to believe you anymore than you do, but you can't lie to yourself."

I frowned. "So, this vampire-like guy is my grandfather?" I turned to my mother. "Doesn't that make you the same?"

"No." She took a breath. "The blood, as hard as it is to see, is on your father's side."

"What?" My voice rose. "Dad is some wanna-be vampire spawn?"

"He would be, if he had any ninja training. Because his ancestors left a long time ago, he has no history here or to trace here." She touched my shoulder. "All this time you thought you were half ninja, but in all reality, your ninja blood is stronger than most."

I blinked a couple times. Dad was from a ninja background? Why had no one ever told about this? I rubbed my eyes, trying to make myself believe that this was some bizarre dream, but when I opened my eyes back up, my mother was there, her most serious face on.

"So, I'm a freak?" I asked, scowling.

"Not a freak, necessarily." My mother turned her head back to the ceiling. "Special, gifted."

I stared at the wall, fists clenched in my lap. No, she was wrong. "Another question," I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "The vampires I've fought. All of them said something about me being a 'deciding factor'. What the hell does that mean?"

My mother sighed heavily again. "That has to do with the story I just told you." She looked over to Edward. "Although, I'm not sure how your vampire 'friends' come into play with this.

"You are the deciding factor in the coming war. A war that will probably decimate all of our island and much of the mainland people."

"What!" I shouted out again. "Are you serious? How do you know that? You can't possibly—"

"This war will once again be between vampires and ninja." My mother interrupted me. "What side you choose to fight on will win and take over governing the world."

"How do you know this war is coming?"

"Because, the prophecies say so."

I gave her an incredulous look. "Seriously? You're going to believe a soothsayer?" I narrowed my eyes. "Have you gone absolutely insane?"

"No." She answered simply. "I believe these prophecies."

"Why?"

"Because, some of them have already come true."

I stared at her. Yes, I think she had gone insane. "Prophecies are fake, Mom. Something for children's tales. No one believes a fortune teller."

"What about your friend, Alice was her name?" My mother rose her eyebrow at me. "Is she not able to see the future?"

I stopped. "But she's a vampi—"

"But, according to your darling Edward over there, his 'father' believes they all had some ability to do what they do now in their human lives. Why could a human not see the future?"

I blinked at her, still thinking she was crazy. "What prophecies have come true then?" I frowned.

"You remember your friend, Gasher, correct?" She said, casually.

My heart clenched at his name. "Of course. What kind of jerk forgets their dead friend?" I growled, looking away.

"The prophecies said that the closest to the child would be killed. By the child. And it happened."

I think I almost went into cardiac arrest. My heart stopped for a just a moment, before leaping up into a dangerous speed. "So, you're telling me, you knew he was going to die?" I snarled at her. "And you did absolutely nothing to stop it!"

She nodded. "One cannot interfere with something like this."

"One can interfere with whatever one wants!" I threw back at her. "You let me… You let me hurt him… just so some stupid prophecy would come true!"

"No."

"What!"

"At the time, I was hoping that you wouldn't be the one. That the prophecies wouldn't be about you. I was like you, not believing the soothsayer's words. But then they came true. And they kept coming true."

"What else did they say?"

"They said you would defeat an enemy attacking your home. They said you would convince a leader that she was wrong. They said you would shut out your heart to the world and become a fantastic ninja." She said, closing her eyes. "And you did."

I looked to Edward. His face was solemn, and he looked back at me with pain in his eyes. Here I was, some product of someone's crazy idea of destiny, and he was being dragged into it.

"And now that you have contact with vampires, everything is sure to race downhill."

And then it hit me. That's why my emotions were all over the place now. If my mother's story was true—which I still wasn't too sure about—then that would mean my ancestral blood to make me go crazy was activating. Or something like that.

My head spun, and I suddenly felt very dizzy. I closed my eyes, and tried to settle the room. "One more question." I muttered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

My mother exhaled slowly. "I thought… that maybe, if I didn't tell you, everything would go back to normal. And you would still be that little girl who fought so hard for everyone's approval, when she already had it."

I stared at her, unblinking. What?

"I thought I was protecting you. But it appears that it didn't work as well as I planned."

I stood up, turning away from my mother. My mouth formed a frown without my knowledge. Turning toward the door, I walked to it, ignoring the hands trying to stop me. "I need air," I mumbled to them, continuing to walk.

Edward and Jasper both let go of my arm and watched me go. I had to think. I had to be alone. This is where a fully healed body would have been nice.

For now, though, I'd have to deal.

* * *

Kind of a bad place to end this chapter, huh? Whatevs. Anyway, I just got back from an anime festival, and it was AMAZING! I really wish that me and my sister had cosplayed someone for it. It looked like a blast.


	43. Chapter 43

So get this. I sprained my thumb. How, you ask? Playing soccer. And it hurts like no freakin' other. That's why it took me almost four days to write this. I'd write a little, my thumb would begin to kill me, and I'd stop. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

The sun set over the horizon of the Capital. I sat alone on the roof, watching it. So much had happened lately, I couldn't get my mind around it all.

The most shocking of all was that my mother kept such a huge secret from me.

What was I going to do? Believe her? Or deny it, and let the chips fall wherever if it was, in fact, true? And everyone seemed to agree that I was the descendant of this crazy story's hero. Vampiric humans? Seemed a bit out there to me. And I was about as out there as it gets.

But the 'prophecy' talked about Gasher. "I think the ability to talk to the dead would be more useful…." I muttered to myself, covering my face with my hands. "Maybe Gasher could tell me if he knew anything about this…."

I curled my knees up and rested my elbows on them. Why did my life have to be so complicated? As much as I loved being a ninja, sometimes, especially lately, I wished I could be normal.

But being normal wasn't what I did, I guess.

Footstep rang out behind me, and I didn't have to turn around to know that they belonged to a certain vampire.

"Hey, Edward," I called out, not turning around.

He came up beside me and sat down. "You okay?"

I shrugged. "I was just told my whole was mapped out by some crack-pot psycho who thinks they can see the future." I swung my face around to glare at him. "How 'okay' do you think I am?"

"You know, your mother firmly believe that."

I shook my head. "I know, Edward. And that's the problem." I ground my teeth together and closed my eyes. "Whether to agree or disagree with her."

He fell silent. I bit my lower lip and tapped my fingers against the floor.

"Gasher wasn't supposed to die…." I muttered, almost mouthed.

"Your friend? Was that the one that your mother said you 'killed'?"

I closed my eyes. Now or never. I nodded at him. "Yes. Because of me, he's dead."

"How?"

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth against the oncoming, horrifying images. "Well, we were close to finishing our first year as ninja." I took a breath, and let the past flood me. "As I've already told you, Gasher and I were as close as two people could be without being physically attached. Me, Lucky, and him were all planning to join the Core after our Promotion.

"But we were still rookies, so we went on rookie missions until then. The tedious, boring missions all newbies go through. This one wasn't supposed to be hard. Just go check in on an outlying town in the district, make notes of their population, and check the equipment. The usual.

"Someone else had another plan, I guess.

"While the three of us and Master Yuju were walking through the forest to get there, we were jumped. A group of rogue ninja ambushed us from all corners.

"Yuju stood at the front of our quad formation, heading off most of the opposing ninja. He was a maniac, the way he was slicing through them. I was on the right of him, taking out several of the rogues myself. But then, I was still a little girl, barely eleven, and I couldn't bring myself to end their lives completely. Innocence still had its grip on me.

"So I didn't kill them. I just knocked them out and moved on. The ninja weren't as strong as they should have been. Lucky backed up against me, and Gasher came close to our shoulders. Yuju came back too. We all sensed that they were planning something.

"They came at us again, this time all at once. We were overwhelmed as we thrashed around to try and get them away. One came at me, and I wasn't quick enough. He drove his knife through my shoulder, and I went down.

"Gasher and Lucky both dropped their opponent and came to my side. I lay on the ground, cradling my injured shoulder, refusing to cry.

"'Bella!' I remember him shouting to me. 'You're gonna be alright, Bella'.

"I shoved them both aside, and stood up, even though they were both screaming at me not to. I was Isabella Swan. A little blood meant nothing in my eleven-year-old, glory-seeking mind.

"It hurt, although I don't remember how exactly it hurt. I still fought, probably harder than I should have, dying to prove myself. Gasher and Lucky stood and fought beside me as well. They were both carefully watching me.

"Finally, we had taken care of most of them. There were three left. They were all huge, bigger than any of us, even Master Yuju. One pinned Yuju to a tree and cut off his breathing. I ran and tried to stop the attacker, but he swatted me away.

"I crashed into the ground, banging my injured shoulder. I lay, again, crumpled on the grass, fighting the tears of pain. Yuju fell unconscious before I could focus on the battle again.

"They dropped him to the ground, and turned to us, the three rookies.

"Now that I think about it, Lucky and Gasher didn't kill any of their opponents either. We were all young, and didn't relish the idea of ending another life.

"But that day, we would have to.

"I launched myself from the ground at one, grabbing him around the waist and tackling him to the ground. I pulled my fist back and punched him across the face, expecting his head to snap back, like all the people I had fought in practice. But he was bigger, and not as easily fazed. I was still a little girl. I had no real strength yet. Just clever tactics and the ability to find any opening.

"He shot me across the clearing, and held me against a tree, similar to Yuju. I gasped for breath, and my hand fidgeted around, trying to find the holster for my knife. I could vaguely see my friends coming at the guy, having their weapons lodged in the others.

"Lucky punched the guy in the back of the head, and Gasher kicked him in the back. Both attacks were ineffective. He brushed them off easily.

"I managed to grab my knife, but he knocked it away. That's when Gasher clamped onto his back and tied his face mask around his eyes. The man stumbled back, releasing me from his grip. I gasped and looked around.

"Lucky was laying on the ground, breathing heavily. Gasher was still wrestling with the guy.

"'Bella, my sword!' He yelled to me. 'Take him out!'

"I looked to where he had pointed for a second. The sword was sticking out of the ground. I gripped it and yanked it out of the grass.

"Charging in, I aimed for the guy's throat, the easiest place to slash without harming my friend. I swiped the blade forward.

"But the guy had quick reflexes. He turned his back to me, exposing my best friend to the sharp edge. I was unable to stop the motion, and although I slowed it down, it still sliced through his back."

I quickly covered my face, feeling tears come up again. How long had it been since I cried? Forever.

Edward's cool arm came to rest on my shoulders, while I sat, shuddering in the bloody images.

"The wound, it shouldn't have been fatal." I gasped out, my voice shaking a little. "It was just a small knick. I got worse from climbing a thorn tree. But the blood… it just wouldn't stop." A single tear managed to escape, and I quickly wiped it away.

"That was the first day I ever killed someone. Another living, breathing, thinking person. Gasher, my best friend, and the man that attacked us. I still remember, vividly, the picture of their blood, along with drops of mine, mixing on the ground. Lucky woke up just in time to see me gaping at both their dead bodies.

"I don't remember killing the enemy's leader. I just remember seeing the blade of my friend through his chest.

"That was a day of firsts for me. The first kill, the first death of a teammate, the first time I realized how awful this life was. I remember being a kid and all the older ninja telling me how bad it was out in the field. I didn't think they wanted me out there, so I just ignored it. But it's all true.

"There was no room for an innocent little girl in the field. No ninja could hold onto the childhood innocence. I guess someone thought it would be some sort of sick joke for me to find the true life of a ninja through killing my best friend.

"That moment, when I watched my friend bleed to death from a wound I caused, I swore to myself I would be the best ninja, not for myself or my mother's approval anymore. But for him. I would carry his dreams with me, because he couldn't.

"His last words were to me and Lucky. 'I guess this is where I end.' He coughed at us. 'You two… were my very best friends. I-I always r-remember y-you…." He stuttered, just like he used to, and closed his eyes forever."

Edward hugged me tightly, while I tried to get the pictures away. "I swore, several days later, that I'd be the perfect ninja. That I'd kill all my emotions and be the text book example. Days of living in the pain of my lost friend made me lose faith in emotions. I knew I couldn't dwell on it too much, but I couldn't forget him."

"You aren't supposed to forget those important to you." Edward whispered in my ear. "That's part of what makes bonds so special. Memories, sometimes, are all we have in the end."

"But I'm a ninja." I muttered back to him. "At the time, I believed I should have a few hours to grieve, and then I'd move on. When I didn't, I just collapsed."

"That's messed up."

I looked at him. "I know. I'm a messed up person." I hugged my knees tightly. "And now, finding out that that whole thing was _mapped out_…. You can't imagine how awful I feel right now."

He nodded. "I know I can't imagine. But I'm still here for you. And, maybe, you should try to think about how your friend's death made you into the person you are today."

"You mean the cold, ruthless, unfeeling jerk that I am?"

He grabbed my face in his hands. "No." And he smiled a sad smile at me. "That's not what I see. I see a wonderful, brave, strong-willed woman. And yeah, you can be a little thick headed sometimes, especially with emotional stuff, but that's part of who you are." He leaned his forehead on mine. "And I love every part of you."

I managed to twitch the corner of my mouth up a fraction.

"Sure, you've got a pretty messed up past, but then again, so do I. I'm a freaking vampire, for crying out loud! That's about as messed up as it gets!" He laughed a little, not happily, but trying to cheer me up.

I nodded and sat back, breaking our contact. "I guess so…."

He picked up off the floor and stood me up. "Enough sad talk, Bella. We're going to do something fun tomorrow."

"But I'm not cleared yet…" Although the idea of getting out was very, _very_ tempting, I figured he would stick to the rules.

"So? You're Isabella Swan! You don't do what others tell you do!" He smiled crookedly at me.

I smirked back and punched his shoulder. "Damn straight, Edward Cullen. I'll make a rebel out of you yet."

* * *

So, I teared up a little writing this. And I don't usually cry at that stuff. But I finally finished Gasher's story and his influence on Bella. And, get this, we're writing an essay in Lit about how minor characters can affect the main character. Perfect, right?

BTW, my thumb still freaking hurts!


	44. Chapter 44

Hey, guys! It's finally Spring Break! Only nine more weeks till Graduation! Whoo! This chapter is kinda filler-ish. It'll probably be pretty lame...

* * *

It was the dead of night when I felt someone shaking me awake. I opened my eyes groggily, wondering who in their right mind would wake someone in a hospital bed.

Then I saw that it was Edward and it was all explained.

"Come on, Bella," He smiled at me. "We're gonna go do that fun thing."

I smirked at him. "At this hour? Really?"

"Yeah!"

I sat up and stretched a little. "Alright." I climbed out of the hospital bed, and grabbed the ninja clothes on side table. Quickly, I pulled the pants over the hospital shorts and tied my tunic over the sleeveless shirt. "Let's go, vampire-boy."

I followed him out the window, and we both landed silently in the bushes a story below us. Edward glanced worriedly at me, and I winked.

"Where're we headed, Edward?" I asked, straightening myself.

He shrugged. "I thought we could just walk through the forest behind your house."

"That's your idea of a fun time?"

He looked over and smirked, much like I always did. That made me smile for real. "Do you not want to come?"

I laughed lightly. "Well, hurry up, Edward." I pushed him toward the trees near the hospital. "Before someone checks my room and finds us under the window."

The moon was full tonight. It cast deep shadows under the cover of the trees. The stars were fully visible, save for a few stray clouds floating by. Edward held my hand as we ducked under branches and climbed over fallen limbs.

We were both silent, lost in our own thoughts. It let me think back on everything that had happened lately. I mean, here I was with a guy I'd met not too long ago, and I was completely in love in with him, when just a few weeks ago, love was about as far away from me as the moon was. I had no hope, or want, to ever reach it.

Not only that, but he was a _vampire_, a being that was supposed to have been killed off centuries ago.

I sighed and looked over to him. But, outside of the vampire part, he was a really great guy. He was always worried about me—too much, if you ask me—and he didn't get upset whenever I was snippy or harsh, unless it was directed at myself. He was like the guy in all those fairytales you read as a child.

Thinking like that, it made me wonder what was going to take him away from me.

After all, my life was no fairytale.

"So," Edward spoke aloud, breaking into my thoughts. "Do you want to go back to the mainland sometime soon?"

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Look at you, calling it the mainland." I grinned at him. "And I guess so. I mean, I have to talk to my dad about what happened with me leaving so suddenly. And you should probably see your family."

He nodded and smiled. "Fantastic!" He paused for a minute. "And, I was thinking…."

"What a surprise!" I interrupted, smirking. "You can think?"

He mock-glared at me. "As I was saying." He cleared his throat, and took a breath. "I know it's probably not your scene or anything, but the, uh, prom is coming up back in Forks."

"Prom?" I asked, confused. "I don't know what a 'prom' is."

"Seriously?" He turned to me quickly. "Well, it's like a formal dance."

"So, people stand in circles, singing and kicking their legs out in unison?"

He stared at me.

I shrugged. "That's what a dance is here. A gathering of the villagers, where music is played and everyone sings and dances in a circle. It's actually quite fun."

"Well, not exactly. It's more one-on-one. And you don't sing, usually. There's no group dancing, and there's food and drinks and stuff."

"Sounds kinda lame, to be honest." I scratched the back of my head. "What about it?"

"Do you, uh, want to go with me?" His voice dropped and he almost sounded shy.

"Like how we 'went' together to the Festival?" I asked.

"Well, hopefully it'll turn out better than that." He grinned.

I smirked at him. "Well then, it's a date."

His grin grew. "Really?"

I nodded. "But it had better not be too lame."

* * *

Ugh, _prom_. My buddy asked me to prom this year, and being the nice person I am, I decided to go with him. Ick. I really don't want to go. It's so not my scene. I don't do school functions. Anyway, this chapter was super short, but it's mostly just a bridge for the next chapter, which I plan to be the epilogue for this part of the story. There will be sequel, no worries, but I want to close this nicely before I go and ruin everyone's life ;) I'll probably work on my Pendragon/Avater Xover for a while before uploading that. Keep you posted!


	45. Epilogue

Well, here it is, people. The epilogue for the 'Twilight' portion of Ninja Bella's adventures. I would have started writing this sooner, but it's Spring Break and I wanted to spend some time with my friends and with my family. Hope everyone enjoys this!

* * *

I stood at the foot of the steps in my dad's house, feeling about as awkward as possible. This 'dress' they had me in wasn't really something I was used to. It was no where near the formal ninja stuff I had to wear back on the island.

"Oh, Bella!" Alice jumped up in excitement. "This is going to be a fantastic night!"

I smiled awkward. "Yeah, I bet, Alice." I tried to sound enthusiastic. But I failed.

"Oh, come on, Bella!" She grabbed my arm, and smiled at me widely. "Think of prom as the conclusion to your Spring Festival that you didn't get to have!"

"I don't dress up for the Festival, though." I commented. "And from what Edward has told me about it, we don't have 'dances' like this either."

My dad walked in just before Alice could shoot something back at me. As far as he knew my mother had gotten into a crisis, and he chose not to think too much about it. I could tell he was happy to have me back with him, but I felt bad for not telling him the truth. About either of us.

Whenever I looked at my dad now, I saw the cold ninja blood that flowed dormant in his veins. His job as a cop wasn't just chance opening. It was his ninja blood that drove him to protect the citizens of this small town. He was just like me.

"Well, look at you two." My dad scratched the back of his head. "You look beautiful, Bella."

"Thanks, dad." I answered, still feeling extremely awkward. "Alice picked out all this stuff…."

Alice lightly kicked me in the shin. I glared at her. "Be happy, Bella."

My face cracked as I faked a smile. "Sure thing, Alice." I muttered through my teeth.

My dad stood against the wall, looking a little out a place. Join the club, dad. "So, uh, when are the boys getting here?"

Alice smiled brightly. "Soon. I think they're on their way now."

A few seconds after she said that, the doorbell rang. Alice grabbed my elbow and jumped up again. I tried to put aside the awkwardness and smile for real, but couldn't quite manage it. Still, I felt the little jitter in my stomach that I was supposed to feel, I think. I had to admit I was a little excited to see this custom. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

My dad opened the door to Edward and Jasper. Both were dressed in something Alice called a 'tuxedo'. They were dashing, I guess you would say. I didn't know much about clothing, but obviously they were very high quality.

Edward smiled when he saw me and I couldn't help but return it. That little bit of excitement grew a fraction.

After letting them in for a few moments, and taking some unnecessary photographs of us, my dad shooed us out the door. We all got into Edward's car, and he drove us to the Forks High School gym.

Standing outside the building, I watched all my American peers walk in, laughing, smiling, and generally excited. Edward and I stood back and waited for the crowd to clear a little.

"So, are you excited?" He asked me, smiling softly.

I shrugged. "A little." I answered. "I would be more so if I actually knew what was going to happen."

"Ah, but that's what we have Alice for, isn't it?" He winked at me.

I laughed lightly, shaking my head. "Although I still don't quite grasp what 'prom' is, I am excited to see my classmates again."

Edward was silent for a second. He seemed to be contemplating something very serious.

"What is it?" I asked him, leaning against the wall, careful not to catch my dress.

"Well, I was just wondering what you're going to do now?" He scratched the back of his head.

"About what?" I looked up the sky. Night had fallen not too long ago and the stars were beginning to come out.

"About… this. About being a ninja, and coming to school here." Edward sighed. "I think it's pretty clear that you're welcome back on your island. But you told me that you liked Forks some too."

He was right, of course. What a dilemma. "Well, I believe the saying goes something like: we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, I'm content to just be here with you and your family and my dad. Maybe, after the semester ends, I'll switch back and forth on a weekly or monthly basis or something."

"So, you're going to finish this semester?" He almost smiled.

I nodded. "I can't just start something and walk away unfinished, Edward." I smirked at him. "And besides, I think I deserve a little downtime after what happened." To be normal and be with you, I added in my head. I still wasn't too good at voicing my thoughts.

He did smile this time, and he kissed me lightly on the cheek. "C'mon, let's go inside."

We had to stand in a line—shorter than before, but still long—as we waited for our entry pictures to be taken. I caught a few of my new friends eyes and smiled awkwardly at them. Angela waved excitedly at me from inside, and I waved back, less enthusiastic, but that was to be expected.

We entered the building to blaring music and flashing colored lights. Yep, clearly not a Capital party. No live instruments, no group dancing, and no soft lantern lighting. Still, it looked like it was definitely a party. There was refreshment table set up and a table with a bunch of large round disks spinning on it. People were jumping up and down in time with the blaring speakers, and shouting to each other.

I found myself getting into the mood. I started bobbing my head to the beat, not really knowing any sort of American dance that would fit in here. Edward joined in with me, not really dancing, but enjoying the music. Or maybe he was just doing that to make me feel better.

Alice jumped over, towing Jasper behind her. "Having fun, Bella?" She beamed at me.

"As if you don't already know." I raised my eyebrow at her. She glared. "Actually, yeah, I am having fun. Not quite the party I'm used to, but…." I shrugged.

Edward put his arm over my shoulder. Alice nodded to me. "That's great, Bella! I told you it'd be fun!"

We talked for a while, Alice constantly supplying an endless conversation. Jasper stood behind her, clearly happy that Alice was enjoying herself. After a few minutes, I felt a real, not awkward smile come to my face. Yeah, maybe it wasn't so bad to be normal.

That reminded me of when Edward and I were in the meadow, and he vowed to teach me to be normal. Sure, I'd never be completely normal here, but I felt almost as if I belonged in this crazy, music-pounding gym. I looked to Edward, and he smiled brightly at me.

"You wanna go outside?" He asked, shouting over the music. "It's getting kind of stuffy in here."

I looked to Alice to say something in the form of 'see you later' but she was already gone. Such is the life of a future-seer, I suppose. Always knowing when others want to be alone.

I nodded to him, and he grabbed my hand and pulled me outside. We stood together, under an awning, with our backs to the head-pounding party going on. A soft breeze picked up and blew warm night air into my face. This was the nicest night I'd ever seen in Forks. The stars were all out now, and shining down on us brightly.

Edward smiled at me, and held out his hand. "Tell me," he started. "Is it customary for two people to dance alone if they are together?" he asked, more formally than he really needed to.

I raised my eyebrow a little at him. "Well, there's always a one-on-one song at the Capital parties." I put my hand in his and smirked. "Where half the lanterns are blown out, and the music slows from jolly to romantic," I put my other hand on his shoulder.

His eyes lowered at me, and he smiled. Not bright and happy, but romantic and content. I almost laughed. Maybe I should find out when the next party was back on the island. I wondered what his light golden eyes would look like under lantern light.

The music from the gym slowed down, and Edward smirked at me. "I, uh, paid the DJ to play a slow song right about now."

That earned him another eyebrow raise. He chuckled lightly. "I had Alice inquire about this kind of thing before we left the island."

I smirked back at him. "Well, you know this is supposed to be the part where the two of us gaze at each other, all lovey-dovey, and stop talking?"

He gave me that crooked smile, and I felt my heart jump at it, again.

I guess growing up in the early 1990's had an effect not only on his manners, but also on his formal dancing skills. While I hadn't made a point to really learn dances back home, I still picked up some things from watching the older coupled people dance at the parties. It didn't really matter anyway. Edward was leading the whole thing.

"You know, I think this is the one thing I don't have to worry about you surprising me in." He taunted me.

I shook my head. "Well, you know, as a ninja, we learned a lot of things. But dancing wasn't in the curriculum." I admitted. "I was never really one for dancing anyway."

Dancing with Edward made me feel so light. It was like none of the craziness that pushed the two of us together had happened. I hadn't been some crazy ninja girl, exiled by her mother to live in a small Washington town. He wasn't a century old vampire with a lonely past. We didn't bond over killing vampires and learning each others' otherworldly secrets. We didn't almost get killed on the island trying to save my mom.

We were just two teenagers, helplessly in love with one another.

And you know, that was okay with me.

I can't believe, at one point in time, I dreaded this. That I dreaded caring for someone else.

No, that wasn't right. I cared about a lot of people. Just… not like this. I had never wanted to spend so much of my free time with another person. I never wanted to just walk through the woods, not talking, just enjoying being near the other person.

I wondered if Edward felt the same way. Not that I would ask him. No, that just wasn't cool.

The music ended, and Edward pulled away from me, ending my thoughts. I kept my hand on Edward's shoulder, even as he moved to end our moment.

"Whoa, there, Edward." I said to him, pulling him in again. "No one said we were done."

He stared blankly at me, confused. "But I thought…."

I pulled him in closer and pressed my lips to his. I could almost hear the realization click in his head.

When I pulled away, I smiled and said, "Whenever the dance ends, the girl always thanks her man for the dance with a kiss."

He smiled at me, and pulled me in for another.

Yeah, I could definitely get used to this.

Another two months and my semester here would end, and I would have to decide what to do from there. Maybe I could convince everyone back on the island to let me finish high school here. It wasn't so bad, other than the redundant teachings. Or maybe I could convince them that I needed to see my father more.

I would bounce back and forth over the summer, enjoying both time with my vampire 'boyfriend' and my people. Both things I loved more than my life.

As I kissed Edward back, the line I'd told him earlier floated back. _We'll cross that bridge when we come to it._

_

* * *

_

Well, hey ho and whatdya know. There it is! I really had to dig deep and find that hdden romantic nature of mine. Bleh, mushy stuff.

Anyway, this story is over. For now, as I've noted several times. I'm going to take a break from the ninja realm and shift into the traveler world. But there will be a sequel coming! Probably sometime closer to summer.

A big shoutout to all my reviewers, alerters, favoriteers, and overall button-to-open-and-read-my-story-pushers! You guys rock! I really appreciate everything! And I would just like you to know that this is the only multi-chaptered story I've ever really finished out on a document of any kind.

Farewell, my loyal companions! See you soon!


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